Dr Ola Brown has emerged as the only Nigerian finalist for the 2026 Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) Impact for Good Award.
Brown, a medical doctor turned investor and General Partner at HealthCap Africa, is one of three women shortlisted for the award, which recognises women whose work has created measurable social and economic impact across Africa.
She will compete alongside Tunisia’s Nada Ghammem and Echo Nomsa VanderWal of Eswatini, with the winner set to be announced at the AWIEF Awards Gala in Cape Town on November 11.
Brown’s nomination highlights a career that has taken her from medicine into finance and investment, with a focus on businesses working to address challenges in healthcare and financial technology.
After training as a medical doctor, Brown earned a Master’s degree in Finance and went on to build about a decade of experience in investment.
She is now a General Partner at HealthCap Africa, a specialist investment fund that backs early-stage healthcare and fintech companies across Africa.
The fund’s portfolio companies currently operate in 10 African countries, supporting about 1,000 jobs and providing services to roughly two million patients.
HealthCap Africa’s investment strategy focuses on businesses that are still developing and may not yet be ready for larger institutional funding. Its support helps companies develop products, build teams, strengthen governance and financial systems, and grow their revenues.
Brown has highlighted the importance of this early-stage funding in creating more investment-ready African businesses.
“Before Africa can have more large, institutionally investable healthcare companies, smaller companies need capital to grow into them,” she said.
Her recognition comes amid a significant funding gap in Africa’s healthcare sector. Data from the African Private Capital Association showed that healthcare companies across the continent secured 27 venture capital deals worth $43 million in 2024, the sector’s lowest level of venture funding since 2018.
The gap is particularly significant given the scale of healthcare challenges across the continent, making investment in healthcare businesses an increasingly important part of conversations around access, innovation and service delivery.
The AWIEF Awards were launched in 2017 to recognise women entrepreneurs and business leaders contributing to Africa’s economic growth and social development.
Brown’s emergence as the only Nigerian finalist places her among African women being recognised not only for building businesses, but for using investment and entrepreneurship to create wider social and economic impact.
The 2026 AWIEF Awards Gala will take place in Cape Town on November 11, where the winner of the Impact for Good Award will be announced.
