Women, entrepreneurship, and economic development in Africa

Abstract

The development agenda in Africa is one that is shifting from a rhetoric of underdevelopment and dependency to one that is focusing on the ever-present, but oft understated, role of African people in transforming the continent's economy. In an attempt to address gender inequity and stimulate inclusive socioeconomic growth and development, women have been the target of many development initiatives in emerging economies. Several of these economic development initiatives for women are centered around financial access and entrepreneurship as avenues for inclusion and empowerment. This chapter explores the ways in which entrepreneurship and women's empowerment intersect in theory and praxis to further enable economic development in Africa. Increasingly, there are greater interventions in women's economic empowerment that happen at both micro and macro levels. Drawing on insights from scholars and practitioners that work at the intersection of women, entrepreneurship, and economic development, this chapter captures the varied ways in which these intersections ultimately synergize and affect change on the continent.