The British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter, has reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to supporting inclusive green growth and sustainable development across key economic sectors in Nigeria.
According to a statement from the British High Commission Communications Office on Wednesday, this was disclosed by Baxter at the second edition of W.O.M.A.N by Alitheia, a high-level forum for Women in Manufacturing, Agribusiness, and Nutrition and key stakeholders, at his residence in Lagos.
The event was hosted by the gender-lens impact investing private equity firm Alitheia Capital in collaboration with Manufacturing Africa, a UK government programme focused on attracting Foreign Direct Investment into the manufacturing sector.
Themed ‘Scaling Sustainable Manufacturing & Energy Transition for Women-led SMEs in Africa’, this edition provided a platform for industry leaders, women entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and energy solution providers to explore the pivotal role of women-led businesses in Africa’s sustainable industrial transformation.
In his remarks, Baxter said, “We are proud to collaborate with Alitheia Capital on Women in Manufacturing, Agribusiness, and Nutrition to drive Africa’s green industrial future.
We recognise the indispensable role of women in this transition and are committed to expanding access to capital and capability to ensure sustainable growth. This event reflects our shared vision for inclusive and transformative development, and we are committed to supporting this journey through targeted investments and strategic private partnerships.”
Also speaking, the co-founder/Managing Partner at Alitheia Capital, Tokunboh Ishmael, said, “We are no longer just talking about sustainability as a nice-to-have. It’s an economic imperative, especially for women entrepreneurs at the heart of Nigeria’s industrial transformation, and through W.O.M.A.N by Alitheia, we’re not only spotlighting solutions, we’re scaling them. In our own portfolio, we’ve seen up to a 60 per cent reduction in energy costs among businesses that have adopted clean energy. This is proof that a green transition is not only possible but profitable.”
The discussions at the event addressed the acute pressures SMEs face amid surging fuel prices and electricity tariffs, conditions that have made sustainable energy adoption both an environmental and economic imperative. Insights from Alitheia’s portfolio revealed that adopting renewable energy can cut operational costs by as much as 60 per cent, underscoring the financial viability of clean energy for scaling women-led businesses.
Alitheia Capital also launched Nzinga, its SME capacity-building platform designed to equip entrepreneurs with tools for scaling their businesses sustainably. At the same event, Manufacturing Africa unveiled its Green Business Building accelerator, which will drive the growth of green businesses through strategic support on core business problems, leading to the development of an ecosystem for green manufacturing and green jobs in Nigeria.
The day closed with an ESG knowledge session, exhibitions from green energy and manufacturing solution providers, and a call to action: expand access to capital, strengthen ecosystems, and enable a policy that supports inclusive green industrialisation.
