INVERSK MAGAZINE
FOCUS - WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Women Empowerment in the Developing Societies Success in women entrepreneurship in the society will depends majorly on economic, social, religious, and cultural factors. There is also need for putting in place supporting and sustaining activities. BY HORACE OCHIENG
I 24 I Inversk Magazine I OCTOBER 2020
In many African societies, a woman is treated like the beast of burden, exploited and wasted. However, women have shown, beyond any reasonable doubt, that they can increase productivity, run flourishing enterprises, and devise new ways of augmenting family income. Women have been relegated, for far too long, on the periphery at the behest of men. This is a sad state of affairs. To be able to get empowered, they must first break free of retrogressive traditions. This article, while discussing the lack of
empowerment of the womenfolk from various fronts like entrepreneurship, gender inequality, and feminism, will touch on policy formulation and implementation aimed at development of mass level women entrepreneurship and agribusiness in the developing countries. Girls and women alike hold unlimited potential, the barriers that constrain women are multifaceted. Genderbased violence has remained pervasive even in as much as women are underrepresented in decision-making processes at all levels. When one says, for example, that many women in Africa today have risen to top leadership positions and attained the highest echelons of power and economic independence, becoming accomplished entrepreneurs, government officials, police officers, airline pilots, scientists, engineers, agriculturists and so many more; you realise that they are referring to many women which cannot represent all women who could have done wanted to accomplish that. This begs the question: is there gender equality and equity in the distribution and accessibility of resources and opportunities in the continent? Women can liberate themselves to a great extent by joining self-help projects which generate income. There is no shortage of profitable activities they could engage in- growing vegetables and fruits both for sale and home use, poultry-keeping and even supply local communities with imported products. This, they can do if credit and proper training is made accessible to them. Women can be very good managers, this has been proven time and again, that is why it is not surprising that many banks are extending loans to women to run and manage their own affairs, finances and generate income. By and large, women form the pillar of family food production. It is not lost on me that provision of microfinance to female entrepreneurs to grow their SMEs has proven to only do so little if they are not properly trained economic empowerment and interventions put in place to sustain their enterprises. A small capital and little sophisticated managerial and technical skills should be provided. Success in women entrepreneurship in the society will depends majorly on economic, social, religious, and cultural factors. There is also need for putting in place supporting and sustaining activities. Economic stimulus programs such as The Women Enterprise Fund that provides micro-finance credit and other financial support for women; and The Y outh Enterprise Development Fund in Kenyan that provides
