For many African women, the biggest barrier to building wealth is not a lack of ambition. It is access. Access to the right financial tools, credit, investment opportunities and information.
For many African women, the biggest barrier to building wealth is not a lack of ambition. It is access. Access to the right financial tools, credit, investment opportunities and information. Solape Akinpelu is using technology to help close that gap.
As the CEO and Co-founder of HerVest, a fintech company focused on improving financial access for African women, Akinpelu is building digital financial solutions around the realities women face. Through HerVest, women can access savings, impact investing and credit financing, while smallholder women farmers and women-led businesses are connected to financing opportunities that can support their growth.
Today, HerVest has more than 100,000 members, reflecting the growing demand for financial services designed with women in mind.
But Akinpelu’s work in technology and financial inclusion extends beyond HerVest. She is a tech business leader, gender finance expert, and best-selling author. She serves as the Global Co-Chair of Marketing for the Women in Tech Global Movement and as its Country Manager for Nigeria.
She previously served as Chairman of Technology at the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce, where she helped promote technology trade and investment between Nigeria and Britain.
She is also a member of the Presidential High-Level Advisory Committee to the President of Nigeria on Women and Girls’ Economic Empowerment and sits on the Gender Committee Desk at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), contributing to the Framework for Advancing Women’s Financial Inclusion.
With a background in financial marketing, Akinpelu previously served as Head of Marketing at Meristem, a Nigerian investment and wealth management group. She is a Certified Financial Education Instructor and a member of the Personal Finance Speakers Association in the United States and the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the United Kingdom.
Beyond her work in financial technology and marketing, she is a sought-after speaker on gender finance and women’s economic empowerment. She is also the author of Stripped: An African Woman’s Guide to Building Generational Wealth, a best-selling personal finance book focused on helping African women build and sustain wealth.
Solape Akinpelu
1. Summarise your mornings in one sentence
My mornings are a mix of quiet reflection, planning my day, catching up on what matters, and getting into work mode.
2. Describe your gadget setupI use a high-performance laptop as my primary work device for managing tasks, communication, presentations, research, and virtual meetings. I also use a smartphone for communication, managing emails, and accessing important work applications when I am away from my laptop.
3. What tech tools/ applications do you use the most for work?Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Outlook and PowerPoint.
Solape Akinpelu’s gadget setup
4. What do you do when you need inspiration?
I read, have conversations with interesting people, and take time away from the noise to think. I also find a lot of inspiration in seeing women build, create and overcome difficult circumstances. Sometimes, stepping back from work and simply observing how people navigate everyday life gives me the best ideas.
5. What mobile application can you not do without daily?I can’t do without WhatsApp. It keeps me connected to my team, family, partners and the wider HerVest community. So much of my day involves conversations, collaboration and staying connected, and WhatsApp makes that seamless.
6. What tech solution do you wish someone had created?I wish there was a truly intelligent financial companion designed specifically for African women. The one that understands your income, spending patterns, financial goals and life stage, and proactively helps you make better financial decisions. Not just an app that shows you numbers, but one that actually understands your financial journey and guides you towards greater financial security.
7. If you have unlimited time and money, what problem would you solve?I would solve financial inequality, particularly for women across Africa. I would want every woman, regardless of where she lives or what she earns, to have access to the knowledge, tools, capital and opportunities she needs to build a financially secure life. I believe financial security gives women greater freedom to make choices, support their families and shape their communities.
Solape Akinpelu
8. Which woman in tech inspires you the most?
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. I admire her ability to operate at the highest levels of global leadership while remaining deeply committed to Africa’s development. Her resilience, intellect and ability to create impact at scale inspire me. She reminds me that African women can sit at any table and also build the tables we need.
9. Which profound statement inspires you the most?If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. It reminds me that meaningful change is rarely built by one person. The biggest problems we are trying to solve require collaboration, shared vision and people who are willing to build together.
10. Whose women in tech trivia would you love to read?
Solape Akinpelu
I would love to read a women-in-tech trivia featuring African women who are quietly changing the world through technology, women building startups, creating solutions to everyday problems, breaking barriers and opening doors for the next generation. I’d especially love stories that go beyond their achievements and share the challenges, failures and defining moments that shaped their journeys.
Read also: Tech Trivia with Oluwaseyi Morountonu, Operations Lead at Fincra
