Female Entrepreneurs not Prospering in Africa – study

Posted on June 5th, 2014
Entrepreneurs

Female entrepreneurs not prospering in Africa - study

According to a study, African countries are not meeting the requirements for female entrepreneurs to prosper, with all African countries surveyed scored below 50%, reports Human IPO.

The second annual Gender-Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI), commissioned by tech giant Dell, reveals the highest scoring African country is South Africa, which ranked 11th out of the 30 countries surveyed. The countries were ranked on their entrepreneurial ecosystems, business environments and individual aspirations.

Nigeria came in second in Africa, ranked 23rd, closely followed by Morocco and Ghana, while Uganda and Egypt came in 27th and 28th respectively.

According to Human IPO, Dell said over 75% of countries globally were not meeting ideal standards.

“The Gender-GEDI Index provides key insights designed to help countries advance female entrepreneurship and ultimately bolster the global economy. We believe awareness of the current landscape for women entrepreneurship is the first step toward change,” Dell said.

According to study female startup activity is on the rise in emerging markets.

“Even with challenges around access to education and capital, female startup activity in [Africa] is high at 86 female to every 100 male startups. Ghana has more female startups than male at a rate of 121 to 100.”

Meanwhile, in 22 of the 30 countries included in the Index, married women have fewer rights than married men and in 21 countries women lack the same access to employment as men.

“By increasing access to education, technology, capital and networks, significant progress can be made,” Dell said.

African nations failing female entrepreneurs [HumanIPO]