Women entrepreneurs in the Gambia: challenges and opportunities

This article reviews the literature on women entrepreneurs in developing countries and presents evidence from a case study undertaken during 2001 and 2002 in Gambia examining the challenges facing women entrepreneurs in the small enterprise sector. The article attempt to discuss the gendered nature of the barriers to survival and growth, particularly the low productivity of sectors in which women entrepreneurs operate, the difficulty in accessing capital for expansion and the need to reconcile business with domestic activities and the propensity to view business as part of an overall livelihood diversification strategy. The article argues that further to addressing specific gender needs of women entrepreneurs, policy and support mechanisms must be sensitive to and geared towards both enterprises with potential and aspirations for growth and diversification and those whose primary objective is that of sustaining livelihoods. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.