Browsing by Author "Mwila, Natasha Katuta"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Open Access A Review of and Future Research Agenda on Women Entrepreneurship in Africa(Emerald, 2024-03-07) Woldesenbet, K.; Mwila, Natasha Katuta; Ogunmokun, Olapeju ComfortPurpose: This paper seeks to systematically review and synthesise existing research knowledge on African women entrepreneurship to identify gaps for future studies. Methodology/research design/approach: The paper conducted a systematic literature review of published studies from 1990-2020 on women entrepreneurship in Africa using a 5M gender aware framework of Brush, de Bruin and Welter (2009). Findings: The systematic literature review of published studies found the fragmentation, descriptive and prescriptive orientation of studies on Africa women entrepreneurship and devoid of theoretical focus. Further, women entrepreneurship studies tended to be underpinned from various disciplines, less from the entrepreneurship lens, mostly quantitative, and at its infancy stage of development. With a primary focus on development, enterprise performance, and livelihood, studies rarely attended to issues of motherhood and the nuanced understanding of women entrepreneurship’s embeddedness in family and institutional contexts of Africa. Originality: The paper contributes to a holistic understanding of women entrepreneurship in Africa by using a 5M framework to review the research knowledge. In addition, the paper not only identifies unexplored/ or less examined issues but also questions the taken-for-granted assumptions of existing knowledge and suggest adoption of context- and gender-sensitive theories and methods. Research limitations/implications: The paper questions the view that women entrepreneurship is a ‘panacea’ and unravels how family context, customary practices, poverty and, rural-urban and formal/informal divide, significantly shape and interact with African women entrepreneurs’ enterprising experience and firm performance.Item Open Access Meeting Migrant Women Entrepreneurs Where They Are: Alternatives to Formal Interventions(World Conference on Gender and Women Studies, 2023-11-12) Mwila, Natasha Katuta; Woldesenbet, K.; Abi, MeskeremThis paper presents the findings of an empirical study conducted on internally displaced women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia and internally migrant women entrepreneurs in Zambia. The study elucidates the challenges faced by these women in accessing support and interventions aimed at fostering entrepreneurship. It unveils a critical issue: the failure of formalised interventions in meeting the unique circumstances and needs of these marginalised groups. Historically, governments and organisations have implemented formal interventions to support women entrepreneurs, often requiring participants to conform to rigid formalisation requirements. This paper reveals that such formalised structures inadvertently exclude a significant number of internally displaced and migrant women entrepreneurs who operate in informal sectors due to circumstances beyond their control. We underscore the necessity of reevaluating intervention strategies to ensure inclusivity and effectiveness. We advocate for alternative approaches that embrace the informal nature of these women's businesses and tailor support systems accordingly. These alternatives could include flexible financing options, skill-building initiatives tailored to the informal sector, and mentorship programs that accommodate the unique challenges faced by internally displaced and migrant women entrepreneurs. By highlighting the limitations of formalised interventions and proposing alternative strategies, this paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on empowering marginalised women in entrepreneurship. It emphasises the importance of meeting these women where they are, acknowledging the resilience and resourcefulness they exhibit within their informal businesses, and creating interventions that empower them. Ultimately, this paper calls for a more inclusive and nuanced approach to supporting the entrepreneurial aspirations of internally displaced and migrant women.Item Embargo Women’s Enterprising in Africa: A Systematic Literature Review(De Gruyter, 2024) Mwila, Natasha Katuta; Woldesenbet, K.; Ogunmokun, Olapeju ComfortThis chapter evaluates the state of research knowledge on women’s enterprising in Africa by conducting a systematic literature review of 104 studies published between 2000-2020. The chapter provides important insights into the context in which African women entrepreneurs operate; their motivations, orientations, and competence to venture into business. The chapter further provides insights into the enabling and/or constraining roles of the embeddedness of African women entrepreneurs in multiple contexts (i.e., economic, cultural, family, social and legal). We found that many studies lack qualitative exploration of women’s enterprising and instead sought to identify factors such as traits, characteristics, access to various resources, etc., that account for gender gap in enterprising and firm performance. The chapter argues that better understanding of women’s enterprising in Africa can only be achieved by theories and methods which consider the multiple embeddedness of women’s enterprising in their contexts.