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Title

Women entrepreneurial activities in developing economies: Ghana as a case study

Author(s)

Dzisi, Smile;  Buckley, Patricia;  Selvarajah, Christopher;  Meyer, Denny

Abstract

This paper examines the personal and business profiles of Ghanaian women entrepreneurs. Ghanaian women engaged in diverse economic ventures but lack of research regarding their activities has resulted in underestimation of their socio-economic ventures but lack of research regarding their activities has resulted in underestimation of their socio-economic contributions. Data was obtained from a survey of 216 Ghanaian women entrepreneurs and interviews with 20 of these women. According to the findings, Ghanaian women entrepreneurs exhibited many similarities with their counterparts in other countries in terms of their personality traits. However, they differed in other aspects such as their educational backgrounds and modes of entrepreneurial skills acquisition. Through their entrepreneurial activities the women have made substantial contributions to the economic growth of Ghana in terms of innovation, job creation, and reduction in poverty and unemployment. Women's entrepreneurship, properly harnessed, has great potential as a tool for transforming developing economies.

Publication type

Conference paper

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Business and Enterprise. Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship

Source

Proceedings of Regional Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research 2008: 5th International Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship (AGSE) Entrepreneurship Research Exchange, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 05-08 February 2008 / L. Murray Gillin (ed.), pp. 383-399

Publication year

2008

FOR Code(s)

150304 Entrepreneurship

Keyword(s)

Cultural differences;  Developing countries;  Developing economies;  Entrepreneurship;  Entrepreneurship research;  Gender differences;  Ghana;  Interviews;  Personality traits;  Skill acquisition;  Small to medium-sized enterprises;  SMEs;  Surveys;  Women entrepreneurs

Publisher

Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship, Swinburne University of Technology

ISBN

9780980332834, 0980332834

Copyright

This paper copyright © 2008 Smile Dzisi, Patricia Buckley, Christopher Selvarajah and Denny Meyer. Proceedings copyright © 2008 Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship. Published version of this paper reproduced with the kind permission of the publisher.

Full text

Peer reviewed