ILO Surveys on Women in Small Enterprise in Africa, 2003
| Implementing agency(ies) | ILO | |
|---|---|---|
| Funding agency(ies) | Development Cooperation Ireland | |
| Date completed | December 2002 | |
| Geographic setting(s) | Mixed | |
| Target Group(s) | Mixed | |
| Sub-sector(s) | Multiple | |
| Issues/challenges | gender, women entrepreneurs | |
| Contact person(s) | Mr. Gerry Finnegan | |
| Country(ies) | Ethiopia, Tanzania, United Republic Of, Zambia |
- Description
The ILO has conducted several surveys of women entrepreneurs in African countries to profile their business strategies and constraints to the growth of women's enterprises. In each study approximately 120 women entrepreneurs were interviewed. The studies describe how and why the survey respondents start businesses.
Methods for info gathering
Secondary source research, In depth interviews
Summary of results
The surveys indicated that women are successfully establishing businesses and creating employment. However, the women in the surveys mentioned a variety of constraints to establishing, running and expanding their businesses such as lack of access to capital, lack of skills/training, lack of experience, difficulty finding land and premises, saturated local markets, limited mobility, negative attitudes in society towards women in business and harassment and corruption by government officials. The studies identify a number of strategies that women have used to overcome these constraints. The studies briefly describe some of the business services that the women respondents have used, with an emphasis on subsidized channels. The studies put forth recommendations for the development of women's enterprises in each country, some of which pertain to business services.
To download, click on the desired survey below:
Tanzania Survey (663KB)
Zambia Survey (525KB)
Ethiopia Survey (453KB)
| Associated Activities and Documents | |
| Synthesis Documents | |
| » | Women Entrepreneurs and BDS (the work of various agencies), 2003 |