Developing Entrepreneurial Skillsets Amongst Rural Women in Uganda

Abstract

Purpose: Rural women in Africa have less entrepreneurship opportunities than men. This is mainly due to societal expectations of women, but it may also be caused by a lack of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills due to their work in agriculture-related activities. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of entrepreneurship training on entrepreneurial skillsets of rural women working in Uganda and how such training influences their entrepreneurial activity. Design/methodology/approach: The primary data set for this study comes from surveys of rural women working in agriculture who participated in a specific entrepreneurship training programme in Uganda. A panel data set is gathered from surveying 298 women before and after the training programme. A random effects regression method is utilised to estimate the impact of entrepreneurship training and other sociodemographic characteristics on entrepreneurial skillsets. Findings: The key finding of this study is that entrepreneurship training increases entrepreneurial skillsets by 25% and that further training and educational opportunities may improve social standing and living standards of rural women working in agriculture. Originality: This study offers distinctive insights into female entrepreneurship in Africa as it quantitatively examines the impact of entrepreneurship training on entrepreneurial skillsets of rural women in Uganda. The findings of this study may inform policymakers of the benefits of appropriate training programmes to improve the living standards, social standing, and economic outcomes for rural women in Africa.