Women Founders Take Centre Stage as Wetech 2026 Puts AI, Capital and Innovation in Focus

As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and access to capital continues to influence which businesses get the opportunity to grow, a growing conversation in Africa is focusing on who gets to participate in building the next generation of technology companies.

At Wetech Conference 2026 in Lagos, that conversation centred on women.

Held on September 26 at the Landmark Event Centre, the conference brought together more than 2,500 women in technology, entrepreneurs, investors, professionals and ecosystem leaders under the theme, “The Power Shift: Women Leading the Future of AI, Capital & Innovation.”

The gathering explored the changing role of women in Africa’s technology ecosystem, with conversations spanning artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, access to capital, leadership, policy, careers and entrepreneurship.

But beyond the conversations, the conference created practical opportunities for women building businesses.

One of the major features was PitchHer 2026, an investment-readiness initiative designed to support women founders preparing to engage with investors. Twenty-five women founders participated in an eight-week programme, with six finalists advancing to the live pitch competition at the conference.

The finalists competed for a share of an ₦8.5 million prize pool, while engaging with investors and other ecosystem stakeholders around their businesses, markets and growth opportunities.

The initiative reflects a broader issue facing women entrepreneurs: access to technology does not automatically translate into access to the capital required to build and scale technology businesses.

That gap was reflected in the wider programme, which placed capital alongside AI and emerging technologies as one of the conference’s core pillars.

Participants explored alternative funding models, investor readiness and the ways women can gain greater access to and control over capital, while another track examined how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are reshaping industries and creating new opportunities.

The conference also brought together women working across different parts of Africa’s technology and investment ecosystem, including founders, venture investors, corporate leaders and technology professionals.

Among the conversations was a focus on what it takes to build and scale companies in African markets, where founders often navigate limited access to capital, infrastructure and support systems.

For women founders in particular, the question is increasingly moving beyond whether they can enter the technology ecosystem to whether they can build companies, attract investment, lead teams and participate in shaping the technologies that will define the continent’s future.

Wetech’s 2026 programme placed that shift at the centre of its agenda, framing the event around a “power shift” in technology, capital and innovation.

The gathering also created space for women at different stages of their careers, from early-career professionals and aspiring founders to established entrepreneurs and investors, to connect and exchange ideas.

As artificial intelligence continues to change the nature of work and entrepreneurship, initiatives such as Wetech are increasingly creating spaces where women can engage not only as users of technology, but as founders, investors, builders and decision-makers.

For the women who participated, the conversation was therefore not simply about gaining access to the next opportunity. It was about being positioned to help shape what comes next in Africa’s technology economy.