Obstacles facing women-owned enterprises: a case for sub-Sahara African women

Abstract

This study identified and ranked the obstacles facing women-owned enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It analysed secondary data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey that includes 2341 questionnaires filled in by women entrepreneurs from 40 countries within SSA. The findings showed that the lack of access to finance is the biggest obstacle facing women-owned enterprises in SSA. This is followed by the absence of electricity, practices of the informal sectors, tax-related issues and political volatility. This finding contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship by ranking the obstacles that confront women-owned enterprises in a developing country region. It contributes to the knowledge that policymakers require for policy development and effective resource allocation within SSA and other developing countries. This study unravels endogenous barriers that are within the scope of women entrepreneurs who need to take innovative steps to resolve such barriers rather than waiting for external assistance, which frequently never arrives.