Enterprising Women: Expanding Economic Opportunities in Africa (Africa Development Forum)

p>Sub-Saharan Africa boasts the highest share of women entrepreneurs in the world, 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.

This book analyzes four key areas for expanding women's economic empowerment in Africa:

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.

Hallward-Driemeier focuses on these four areas to explain gender differences and gaps across a spectrum of enterprises, analyzing the latest data from household and enterprise surveys in 41 Sub-Saharan African countries. She also provides practical steps for policy makers and practitioners on how to close these gender gaps and enable more women to shift to higher return activities.

Enterprising Women: Expanding Economic Opportunities in Africa is the companion volume to Empowering Women: Legal Rights and Economic Opportunities in Africa.