Rise of women entrepreneurs in developing countries (PDF)

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.