Women and E-commerce in Africa

Women and E-commerce in Africa
Author: International Finance Corporation
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2021
Genre:
ISBN:

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The rapid digital transformation underway in Africa has the potential to have an equally transformative impact on women entrepreneurs. Although Africa boasts a higher incidence of women entrepreneurs compared to men, women-owned (WO) businesses across the continent tend to be smaller, have lower average sales, and have fewer employees. The exponential growth of e-commerce in Africa presents an opportunity to close gender gaps by opening more markets to WO enterprises. Advances in disruptive technologies do not always translate into advances in gender equality, and to date, there is limited research that has investigated women's participation or their success on e-commerce platforms. This report seeks to address this knowledge gap with the first large-scale, sex-disaggregated analysis of e-commerce sellers in Africa and to shed light on the following key questions: (1) how are women entrepreneurs participating and performing in e-commerce?; (2) what are the opportunities and challenges for women entrepreneurs selling on e-commerce platforms?; and (3) is there a business case for e-commerce platforms to invest in women entrepreneurs? To answer these questions, the research team conducted in-depth interviews with sellers, as well as global and regional e-commerce experts; undertook surveys of representative samples of men and women sellers in Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, and Nigeria; and conducted an analysis of data from Jumia, one of the region's largest e-commerce platforms.

Enterprising Women

Enterprising Women
Author: Mary Hallward-Driemeier
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2013-06-10
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0821398091

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This book brings together new household and enterprise data from 41 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to inform policy makers and practitioners on ways to expand women entrepreneurs’ economic opportunities. Sub-Saharan Africa boasts the highest share of women entrepreneurs, but they are disproportionately concentrated among the self-employed rather than employers. Relative to men, women are pursuing lower opportunity activities, with their enterprises more likely to be smaller, informal, and in low value-added lines of business. The challenge in expanding opportunities is not helping more women become entrepreneurs but enabling them to shift to higher return activities. A central question addressed in the book is what explains the gender sorting in the types of enterprises that women and men run? The analysis shows that many Sub-Saharan countries present a challenging environment for women. Four key areas of the agenda for expanding women’s economic opportunities in Africa are analyzed: strengthening women’s property rights and their ability to control assets; improving women’s access to finance; building human capital in business skills and networks; and strengthening women’s voices in business environment reform. These areas are important both because they have wide gender gaps and because they help explain gender differences in entrepreneurial activities. It is particularly striking that while gender gaps in education tend to close with higher incomes, gaps in women’s property rights and in women’s participation in reform processes do not. As simply raising a country’s income is unlikely to be sufficient to give women equal ability to control assets or have greater voice, more proactive steps will be needed. Practical guidelines to move the agenda forward are discussed for each of these key areas.

African Women and ICTs

African Women and ICTs
Author: Ineke Buskens
Publisher: IDRC
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2009-04
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1848131925

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Based on the outcome of an extensive research project, this book features chapters based on original primary field research undertaken by academics & activists who have investigated situations within their own communities & countries.

Sustainable Fashion

Sustainable Fashion
Author: Carme Moreno-Gavara
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2019-03-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3319912658

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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.

African Female Entrepreneurship

African Female Entrepreneurship
Author: Amanobea Boateng
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 156
Release: 2017-10-11
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3319658468

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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.

West African Studies Women and Trade Networks in West Africa

West African Studies Women and Trade Networks in West Africa
Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2019-04-04
Genre:
ISBN: 9264683356

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The report proposes the development of innovative public policies based on the reinforcement of the social capital of women and policy approaches that promote better integration of the initiatives undertaken by governments, international and non-governmental organisations to empower women and strengthen their resilience.

Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa

Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa
Author: Nicolas Friederici
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2020-07-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 026236283X

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The hope and hype about African digital entrepreneurship, contrasted with the reality on the ground in local ecosystems. In recent years, Africa has seen a digital entrepreneurship boom, with hundreds of millions of dollars poured into tech cities, entrepreneurship trainings, coworking spaces, innovation prizes, and investment funds. Politicians and technologists have offered Silicon Valley-influenced narratives of boundless opportunity and exponential growth, in which internet-enabled entrepreneurship allows Africa to "leapfrog" developmental stages to take a leading role in the digital revolution. This book contrasts these aspirations with empirical research about what is actually happening on the ground. The authors find that although the digital revolution has empowered local entrepreneurs, it does not untether local economies from the continent's structural legacies.

Women Entrepreneurs in Africa

Women Entrepreneurs in Africa
Author: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
Publisher: New York : United Nations
Total Pages: 98
Release: 2000
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

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The number of women's enterprises is growing worldwide. In Africa more and more women have become self-employed and owners and managers of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study presents lessons gathered by UNCTAD and UNIDO from 11 African countries. It takes a closer look at a profile of the typical women entrepreneur, discusses major obstacles they face and reviews programmes for women's entrepreneurship development. [UN webiste]

Power, Gender and Social Change in Africa

Power, Gender and Social Change in Africa
Author: Raj Bardouille
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 359
Release: 2009-03-26
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1443806285

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Gender plays a hugely significant and too often under-considered role in predicting how accessible resources such as education, wage-based employment, physical and mental health care, adequate nutrition and housing will be to an individual or community. According to a 2001 World Bank report titled Engendering Development—Through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources, and Voice, enormous disparities exist between men and women in terms of basic rights and the power to determine the future, both in Africa and around the globe. A better understanding of the links between gender, public policy and development outcomes would allow for more effective policy formulation and implementation at many levels. This book, through its discussion of the challenges, achievements and lessons learned in efforts to attain gender equality, sheds light on these important issues. The book contains chapters from an interdisciplinary group of scholars, including sociologists, economists, political scientists, scholars of law, anthropologists, historians and others. The work includes analysis of strategic gender initiatives, case studies, research, and policies as well as conceptual and theoretical pieces. With its format of ideas, resources and recorded experiences as well as theoretical models and best practices, the book is an important contribution to academic and political discourse on the intricate links between gender, power, and social change in Africa and around the world.