Only 2 percent of Africa's women-led businesses are funded, Ms. Tokounboh Ishmael, associate director of Alitheia IDF, a private equity fund specifically targeting women-led businesses, revealed Monday in Johannesburg.

She was speaking in the first panel of the second edition of the African Investment Forum (AIF) in the presence of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Rwandan (Paul Kagame) and Ghanaian (Nana Akufo-Addo) counterparts.

"In Africa, 40% of businesses are run by women, but only 2% of these companies are funded," Said Tokounboh Ishmael, stressing that "if all the assets of women are used in Africa, it will increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 26%."

"We can fund women for their autonomy. They want a better health system (...) ", added the associate director of Alitheia IDF, noting the importance of this edition of the African Investment Forum dedicated in particular to the empowerment of women.

Alitheia invests in sectors that engage a significant percentage of women, whether they are entrepreneurs, producers, distributors or consumers. Some of these sectors include agri-food, consumer goods, healthcare, education and financial services.

With offices in Lagos and Johannesburg, Alitheia invests in six countries on the continent: Ghana, Lesotho, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

More than 2,000 delegates from 109 countries, including 49 African countries, are taking part in this second edition of the African Investment Forum scheduled for 11, 12 and 13 November 2019, during which projects worth nearly $67 billion will be negotiated.

Organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the South African Government, african Investment Forum aims to raise capital for the financing of projects for African countries.

The forum's partners include the African Finance Corporation, the Export and Import Bank for Africa, Africa 50, the Trade and Development Bank (TDB), the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the European Investment Bank (EIB).