Prediction
In 2026, digital health platforms will materially expand access to primary and preventive healthcare for women and families, with telemedicine and tech-enabled diagnostics accounting for a meaningful share of outpatient consultations in urban and peri-urban Nigeria. These platforms will increasingly integrate payments and financing to improve affordability and continuity of care.
Supporting Evidence
From Aruwa’s investor perspective, health tech models that reduce out-of-pocket costs and leverage mobile channels show higher utilisation among women, who are often primary healthcare decision-makers. Rising mobile penetration and sustained capital flows into digital health between 2024 and 2025 support the scalability of these models.
Risk Factor
Adoption could be constrained by unreliable infrastructure, fragmented regulation across health systems, or limited insurance reimbursement for digital care.
Who is Adesuwa Rhodes?
Adesuwa Rhodes is the founder and managing partner of Aruwa Capital Management, a Lagos-based, women-led growth equity fund investing in early-stage businesses across Africa. She focuses on backing high-growth companies that expand access to essential goods and services, with a strong emphasis on inclusive business models.
Before founding Aruwa Capital, Rhodes worked in private equity and investment banking, including roles at Carlyle’s Sub-Saharan Africa team and at Standard Chartered Bank. She is a prominent advocate for gender-lens investing on the continent and serves on multiple boards, supporting the growth of Africa’s next generation of category-defining companies.
