Rural Entrepreneurship for Women: A Case for Wealth Creation by Africa’s Rural Poor amidst
Global Financial and Economic Crises
Dr Baharul IslamChairman & Chief Executive Officer
SOUTH ASIA DEVELOPMENT GATEWAY
Washington DC / Bangkok / Guwahati (India)
AFRICAN ECONOMIC CONFERENCE 2009Addis Ababa; NOV 11-13, 2009African Development Bank – UNECA
2
Outline
Background
Position of Women
Major challenges
Successful Women Ventures
Success Stories
Strategic challenges and opportunities
Conclusion
3
Background
Emphasis on rural small/medium size businesses
Growth of women entrepreneurs – not uniform or nonlinear in this emerging global scenario.
Several exemplary cases around the world
IT based commercial enterprises for women
Strategic challenges and opportunities from a gender focus
21 October 2004 ICTES 2004 Addis Ababa 4
Position of Women
The general impression about the women entrepreneurs across the world is changing
Women-owned firms in the MENA region
General barriers
Financial capital requirements and cumbersome bureaucratic and legal procedures
Women's entrepreneurship could help the in creating more and better jobs.
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Major challenges
Women entrepreneurs - family income for survival.
Balancing time share between work and family
Access to start-up capital
Access to export market without intermediaries
Cases of Uganda and Kenya
Challenges remain in four key areas: Access to finance/capital, technical and commercial support, capacity building, global marketing
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Successful Women VenturesWomen in Africa using ICT to empower themselvesNew focus on service sector.Success Story # 1 : Taiwan
SUCCESS STORY # 2: Grameen Phone
SUCCESS STORY # 3 : Rodwel Foundation, Zimbabwe
SUCCESS STORY # 4 : Pandora Box, Mozambique
SUCCESS STORY # 5 : Technoworld, India
SUCCESS STORY # 6 : Divine Computers, India
SUCCESS STORY # 7 : e-Business and e-Commerce
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Strategic challenges and opportunities
Global economic recession and the reported millions of job losses in the developed countries
Financial backup support for the families
Women’s empowerment thrust in Business : Educational and work background
Psychological characteristics, motivation, perception
management practices, external networking
Management training in micro enterprises
Organized business support services
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CONCLUSIONS
African rural market - unique opportunities
Trades started at village levels
Education/training, organized small business groups
Importance of marketing
“Micro-banking"
Entrepreneurs as job creators
Plan the African Women Entrepreneurs on training and capacity building programmes.
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