The Challenges of Growing Small Businesses - International Labour ...

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6. Key recommendations from the National Stakeholder Conferences The recommendations detailed below comprise both the practical operational recommendations which came out of the three national stakeholder conferences, as well as some broader developmental recommendations arising from the collective lessons drawn from the WED Study as a whole in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia. 6.1 The participatory path towards the recommendations Part of the research process involved each team of national researchers taking their findings to a national stakeholder conference for discussion, as well as to facilitate debate by women entrepreneurs and those within the business support sector. Each of the three national conferences produced a set of recommendations for action and these are detailed in each of the separate reports (ILO 2003a, b and c) and reproduced in Annex 2 of this report. Each workshop was structured to include presentations from the ILO on the background to the research. In addition, the ILO’s two international consultants presented the framework within which the research was designed and implemented, including the components of the underpinning conceptual framework based on a combination of the MAIR and Sustainable Livelihoods approaches. This was followed by a presentation by the national consultants of the findings from both the secondary and primary research phases. These formed the basis of discussions in a number of working groups, which focused their deliberations around the four key themes of: 1) Marketing and market access 2) Access to resources and finance 3) Business development and training 4) The enabling environment The working group discussions varied depending upon country specific circumstances, and the discussions tended to cut across all of the four themes. However in reviewing the recommendations arising from all of the group discussions, there are some common issues across all three countries. 6.1.1 Marketing and market access The working groups discussed a range of issues impacting on women’s ability to take advantage of market opportunities, to meet market needs, and to reach the market more effectively. (i) Information access All three conferences concluded that women entrepreneurs have difficulties in accessing lucrative domestic and export markets. Even where enabling conditions have been created, such as in the two major regional organizations, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), women entrepreneurs still experience difficulties in obtaining information and gaining effective access to these markets. 74
(ii) Cultural and social barriers Cultural and social constraints have an impact upon women’s ability to travel, and to have physical access to markets outside of their immediate communities. In addition women’s ability to freely meet, communicate and negotiate with men (as suppliers, customers and business support agents) in relation to building their businesses, was also highlighted as a key constraint at all three conferences. (iii) Business premises Access to suitable premises for production and selling purposes was discussed at all three conferences, but it was only at the Zambia conference where this was formulated into a specific recommendation. That workshop stressed the need for safe and secure market areas where women entrepreneurs would be able to market their products and services. (iv) Trade fairs and promotional activities The workshop groups discussed trade fairs and other promotional mechanisms for presenting the products and services of women entrepreneurs. It was felt that BDS organizations and business associations should be the primary mechanism for supporting the development of these types of activities. Other issues recommended for promoting women’s products and services included a call for the ILO to continue its support for trade fairs as a means of improving market access, and promoting international lessons and best practices in relation to market development. (v) Networking events In terms of supporting women’s knowledge of and access to marketing opportunities, the working groups felt that more could be done to provide networking events for women entrepreneurs. This would facilitate shared experience and information exchange, but go further by presenting opportunities for joint projects and the development of new products and services. BDS providers and women entrepreneurs’ associations were felt to be best placed for facilitating this networking. (vi) Training and support for marketing Working groups at all three national conferences stressed that BDS organizations and women entrepreneurs’ associations should ensure that they offer targeted and high quality marketing support for women entrepreneurs. This was further elaborated upon at the Ethiopian conference where it was felt that this support should include: • Facilitating women’s access to domestic and export markets • Promoting women’s businesses and their products • Providing a range of training opportunities addressing a number of marketing issues for women entrepreneurs • Providing access to information technology and other means of accessing marketing information. 6.1.2 Access to resources and finance Discussions about accessing appropriate and affordable finance were wide-ranging. The working groups developed a number of recommendations designed to counter the difficulties faced by many of the women entrepreneurs in accessing finance. These were 75
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SEED Working Paper No. 47 Series on
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Foreword The ILO’s Programme on B
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Table of contents Foreword ........
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5.2.2 Abilities, skills, and experi
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Executive summary This report provi
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Acronyms AEMFI BDS CSA CSO COMESA E
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WED WED Study WEDAZ WEPC WEDGE ZCSM
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The Gender lexicon Gender was taken
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1. Introduction and background 1.1
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1.2 Aims and objectives In associat
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Phase Two (July-Oct 2002) Workshop
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• The Enterprise Level, as relate
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• The Enabling Environment for En
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(ii) Degree of Formality Another ch
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1.4 The Structure of the report Thi
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The lack of up-to-date and comprehe
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employees, marketing and resources,
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eluctant to make legal agreements w
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Most of the existing research would
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Page 41 and 42: Tanzania, the Women and Gender Deve
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Page 45 and 46: 3. Jobs, gender and enterprise in A
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Page 102 and 103: Economic Commission for Africa (ECA
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