The Foundation And Growth Of African Women Entrepreneurs

This book explores how culture and tradition have impacted the tendency for African women to opt for entrepreneurship. The first section presents literature on the concept of entrepreneurship and introduces traditional African women entrepreneurs-the first-generation, culture-driven entrepreneurs, driven by the need to alleviate poverty within the family. The second section covers the modern, second-generation entrepreneurs driven by such forces as education, globalization, and technology. Further, the author assesses the regional perspectives on entrepreneurship and explores the entrepreneurial ecosystems to determine their relevance to the development of entrepreneurial spirit in Africa and among women in particular. This book expands on knowledge about the role that women play in the socio-economic development of the African continent. Chi Anyansi-Archibong is Professor Emerita at North Carolina A&T, USA. She is Past President of the North American Case Research Association (NACRA) and Founder of Southeast Case Research Association.

This book explores how culture and tradition have impacted the tendency for African women to opt for entrepreneurship. The first section presents literature on the concept of entrepreneurship and introduces traditional African women entrepreneurs—the first-generation, culture-driven entrepreneurs, driven by the need to alleviate poverty within the family. The second section covers the modern, second-generation entrepreneurs driven by such forces as education, globalization, and technology. Further, the author assesses the regional perspectives on entrepreneurship and explores the entrepreneurial ecosystems to determine their relevance to the development of entrepreneurial spirit in Africa and among women in particular. This book expands on knowledge about the role that women play in the socio-economic development of the African continent.

This book analyzes female entrepreneurship in the textile sector in Africa as a phenomenon that favors the social integration and economic development of women in certain geographical areas. It identifies entrepreneurship as an avenue through which women can escape the feeling of being trapped in the home and assert their independence while providing for their families. In the field of fashion, female entrepreneurs in resource-rich Africa have significant opportunities through knowledge of natural resources and cultural traditions, as the use of natural fabrics and original designs is one of the latest trends. This book provides a framework for how African women can develop sustainable fashion enterprises, offering an original and lasting contribution to the field of entrepreneurship.

Covers the background information to the ILO-African Development Bank country-level studies on the subject and presents the findings and recommendations resulting from the application of the analytical integrated framework in the three countries.

This book brings together new household and enterprise data from 41 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to inform policy makers and practitioners about ways to expand women entrepreneurs' economic opportunities. Women's empowerment is recognized as the third millennium development goal; in 2012 the World Bank dedicated its annual flagship, the World Development Report, to gender equality and development (World Bank 2011); and the Nobel prize for peace was awarded to three pioneering women (two from Liberia) working for peace in their countries' fights for democracy and for greater opportunities for women. This book focuses attention on Sub-Saharan Africa, and specifically on entrepreneurship in the nonagricultural sector. The issue of gender disparities in economic opportunities in the region has been studied in terms of gaps in wage income and in job sorting in wage work (Arbache, Kolev, and Filipiak 2010; Fafchamps, Soderbom, and Benhassine 2009; Kolev and Sirven 2010). Other cross-country work has looked at entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa, but rarely with much attention paid to gender (Bigsten and Soderbom 2006; Tybout 2000; World Bank 2004). But entrepreneurship is where women in Sub-Saharan Africa are most active outside of agriculture. So it is critical to look at entrepreneurship to understand the extent of gender disparities in economic opportunities, determine the underlying reasons for these gender patterns, and develop an agenda to enable more women to realize their full potential.

Essay from the year 2015 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, , language: English, abstract: It has been repeatedly documented that the rise of women’s entrepreneurship in developing countries has hit a record high over the past decade. This article examines the direct and indirect causes of the rapid growth of women entrepreneurs in developing countries. Light is also shed on significant challenges to faster growth of female entrepreneurship and key factors to sustain this positive trend are proposed. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is currently the second fastest growing region of the world after Asia. Two publications (McKinsey Global Institute, 2010 and The Economist, 2011) highlighted the positive prospects of African economies driven by a rise in entrepreneurial activity. This renewed interest in Africa calls for action from management scholars. This article examines this growth from the perspective of women entrepreneurs who currently occupy larger statistics compared to the entire history of Africa as a continent. Compared to other regions of the world, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest number of female entrepreneurs. These women are mostly owners of small businesses and local community shops serving the unmet needs of their homes and consumers.These include hair salon owners, high-tech visionaries and everything in between, all making critical economic contributions.

Contributing to academic discussions on entrepreneurship and gender in Africa, this book provides coverage of recent trends and an exploration of the evolution of female entrepreneurship over time. This innovative new text, written from an African woman’s perspective, fills a gap in the current literature on this topic and places important focus on the role of female entrepreneurship in Africa’s development as a continent. Focussing on key issues such as social feminism and the capability approach, the author addresses the possibility of a potential overlap between social entrepreneurship and female entrepreneurship in Africa. Insightful accounts of women from countries such as South Africa, Namibia and Ghana, along with theoretical research into the further development and advancement of female entrepreneurs, make this book an important must-read for those interested in entrepreneurship and gender in Africa.

"This report provides a synthesis of the findings from the Jobs, Gender and Small Enterprises in Africa-- a Study on Women's Enterprise Development (the WED Study), which was carried out in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia through 2002. This was an action research project and funded as part of Ireland Aid's Partnership Programme with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and its InFocus Programme on Boosting Employment through Small Enterprises Development (IFP/ SEED). The study was directed by Gerry Finnegan from the Women's Entrepreneurship Development and Gender in Enterprise (WEDGE) Team within SEED and undertaken by a partnership of three nationally-based research groups-- Julé Development Associates International (JUDAI) Consultants in Zambia, Zewde and Associates PLC in Ethiopia and the University of Dar Es Salaam's Entrepreneurship Centre (UDEC) in Tanzania together with two international consultants Dr. Pat Richardson and Rhona Howarth from the UK"--P. ix.