Female entrepreneurship in developing economies:the case of Nigeria

Abstract. Over the past decades, the world has witnessed a rapid growth in female entrepreneurship. More women are starting businesses and contributing to both economic and social development globally. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2015 report, females are reported to have contributed about 20 trillion usd in annual consumer spending and this figure is expected to rise to about 28trillion in the next few years. Several literatures conducted about female entrepreneurs in developed economies indicate that females have been starting businesses at a higher rate more than the men. However, little is relatively known about businesses owned by women in developing economies. This thesis addresses this gap by investigating female entrepreneurs in developing economies using Nigeria as a case study. Nigeria was chosen because of the size of the economy and her position as one of the leading developing countries on the globe. A total of six female entrepreneurs were chosen for this research. From the findings of this thesis, factors such as previous experience in running a business, level of education and training and different level of motivation are essential to female entrepreneurship in Nigeria. Similarly, other factors that could adversely affect creation of businesses by female entrepreneurs include lack of access to finance and inadequate infrastructur