Young%20Women%20Entrepreneurship%20Promotion

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Young Women Entrepreneurship Promotion

• Presented by
• Dr. Amany Asfour
• President of Egyptian Business Women Association
  (EBWA)
• President of Business and Professional Women
  Egypt (BPW-Egypt)
• Representative of civil society for North Africa
  in African Union
• Member of Arab International Womens Forum (AIWF)
• Member of international federation of Business
  and Professional Women (BPWI)

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Entrepreneurship

• Is a driver for economic growth, competitiveness
  and job creation, furthermore, it can be a
  vehicle for personal development and can help
  resolve social issues.

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Who is an Entrepreneur?

• Many definitions of entrepreneurs have been
  developed and one should be clear about what an
  entrepreneur means. An entrepreneur is
  essentially a person who is not only
  self-employed but generates employment and income
  for others through a combination of efforts
  requiring zeal and capability to transform
  physical, financial, natural and human resources
  for production possibilities to extract the
  business potential within any situation..

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Who is an Entrepreneur? (cont.)

• Entrepreneurs should be able to produce
  innovative goods and services to suit to the
  market demand as well as earn a profit. Besides
  the above qualities, women entrepreneurs need to
  have additional quality in terms of determination
  and tenacity to cope with adverse situations,
  which seem to confront the female entrepreneurs
  more than their male counterparts in a given
  situation

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Situation of Women Entrepreneurship

• In spite of the fact that mainstreaming women has
  been recognized as a priority, the area of
  entrepreneurship development still contains
  ambiguity and get less attention and womens
  micro credit based income generating activities
  often are confused as entrepreneurship
  development. The enterprises owned by women
  feature some interesting characteristics
  regarding ownership, management, sources of
  capital, technology market orientation and so on.

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Socio legal situation

• Womens role in the household remains prominent
  in most of the countries and womens
  participation in the business world is difficult.
  They have to undergo the general constraints that
  any women would face. The families would
  encourage home-based activities with less
  mobility for procurement or marketing. The
  perception of women being involved in traditional
  male domain as an entrepreneur is yet to be
  accepted. Thus, diversification is limited,
  competition amongst them is high and profit is
  low.
• Lack of access to resources due to the legal
  barriers to inherit property or social custom
  inhibit women to prove them to be worthy of
  credit. Even the family would be comfortable to
  support a male with higher amount of capital than
  supporting a female.

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A sustainable EnterpriseThe following figure
shows the elements that are required to call it
enterprise sustainable
Technical Viability
Market Stability
Management Zeal Skill Managerial
Vocational Systems
Sustainable Enterprise
Financial viability
Policy support
Infrastructural facilities
Environmental Sustainability
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A sustainable Enterprise

• An enterprise needs an environment conducive to
  take off and sustain and all seven elements are
  important. But policy support is a crosscutting
  element that influences the financial,
  infrastructural, social (skills, systems etc.),
  market, environment etc. positively or
  negatively. The role of private and public sector
  agencies are often guided by the policies, which
  again are influenced by the traditional attitude
  and lack of understanding about the needs and
  situation of women. Therefore, for mainstreaming
  of gender, it is important that the policies and
  measures are developed considering the reality of
  women

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Economic Awareness Women Entrepreneurship

• The promotion of women Entrepreneurship is
  closely linked with their economic awareness
  their ability to establish their own enterprises
  through formal equality exists in the
  constitution, there are factors that hinder the
  progress of women Entrepreneurship despite its
  vast potential, including lack of information,
  capacity building Access to financial resources

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The Promotion of Womens Entrepreneurship

• It is a means to alleviate womens unemployment
  and poverty and also stimulate economic growth.
• Womens entrepreneurship promotion aims at
  eliminating gender specific barriers which limits
  womens capacity to up businesses. These include
  inadequate access to information ,business
  networks as well as the traditional attitude
  towards the gender role

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Women entrepreneurship

• When starting a business, women often face
  different barriers and circumstances than men.
• They may have to struggle with specific problems
  and do not participate in support programs to the
  same extend that men do.
• This is despite the fact that women are well
  educated and have innovative business ideas which
  will create new jobs and contribute to challenge.
  

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Promotion of Womens Entrepreneurship Objectives

• To contribute to the elaboration of strategies
  and policies supporting women in using their
  entrerpreneurial potential.
• To raise awareness among regional decision-makers
  concerning the importance of promoting womens
  entrepreneurship.
• To develop tools such as financing, incubators
  and seminars for encouraging potential women
  entrepreneurs.
• To set up regional networks supporting womens
  entrepreneurship.
• To develop training and education that
  contributes to creating an entrepreneurship
  culture for women.

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The main three pillars of womens
Entrepreneurship promotion are

• 1 Creating an enabling environment
• 2 Capacity building and
• 3 - Access to financial resources

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The way forward
Access to Financial Resources Special credit
line Guarantee support Guarantee fund Advocacy
Risk Sharing Chambers/Associations Fund
Generation Govt., Donor, Private Bank
Sources External agencies Government
Creation of Enabling Environment Policy
Support Revision/formulation (establish
consistency) Supportive mechanism (One stop
service) Mainstreaming Advocacy Chambers/Associati
on Measures by Government. Banks
Promotion of Women Entrepreneurship
Capacity Building Associations -Women
Entrepreneurs Service Providers -Information-Skil
ls Development Management Technology Marketing
Support-Linkage Building Donors/Agencies Technical
Assistance Support Services Chambers/Association
s-Institutions-Agencies-Private sector
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1-Creating an enabling environment

• This includes creating an enabling environment
  through policy support, taking appropriate
  measures for establishing required support
  networks and looking at every activities,
  policies, measures and services from a
  mainstreaming perspectives.
• The objective should be to provide a
  comprehensive package of components that will
  contribute towards improving environment of
  entrepreneurship development in the country.

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• The Government need to formulate appropriate
  policies supporting women entrepreneurship
  development and revise the existing ones to
  incorporate appropriate provisions.
• Advocacy from the civil society groups is
  essential to influence the policies and the
  business and professional women as part of the
  civil society group can play a meaningful role
  especially in lobbying with the Chambers and
  associations as well as with the important
  government agencies. Publicity and advocacy based
  on proper analysis can be a critical role for
  BPWs. They can also play a critical role in
  guiding the entrepreneurs with relevant
  information, counseling, and other support.

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2 Capacity Building

• Capacity building relates to both vocational and
  managerial capacity including information
  dissermination etc. Capacity has to be considered
  in terms of technical, financial and skills etc.
  This is an area where the civil society groups
  including chambers, associations, women groups,
  NGOs etc. for the women entrepreneurs are
  critical and the business and professional women
  can develop networks with the relevant groups to
  influence creation of provision of supports on
  the basis of identified needs.

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3 Access to Financial Resources

• This is the area for all entrepreneurs and the
  public sector has a comprehensive role to play
  especially in the areas of policy development,
  taking specials measures in the area of guarantee
  support, special credit line, provision of quota
  in industrial credit etc.
• Banks should be oriented to initiate special
  window for financing women owned enterprises.
• The government should provide policy support for
  collateral free loan up to a certain limit. It
  can develop guarantee fund and can accept
  guarantee by chambers and association etc.

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Women entrepreneurship promotion

• From many important aspects, four key issues in
  promotion of women entrepreneurship are dealt
  with
• Problem awareness.
• Support instruments.
• Regional networks.
• Education and training.

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Problem awareness

• Strategies about how to inform political,
  economic and administrative decision makers with
  special needs of women when starting a business
  in order to promote women entrepreneurship and
  develop to promote a culture of women
  entrepreneurship.

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Support instruments

• Evaluation of existing instruments of support for
  women entrepreneurs and identification of models

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Regional networks

• Setting up and maintaining regional networks for
  women entrepreneurs

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Ensuring local and national regional
International networking

• The creation of networks of the organizations
  serving women entrepreneurs is very important in
  order to facilitate their contact with other
  economic policy organizations.

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Education and training

• Integration of entrepreneurship into curricula
  and motivation of women at an early stage through
  education and developing skills.

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Business Education is not entrepreneurship
Education.

• The opportunity is there for a radical appraisal
  of the education curriculum to help children to
  understand is like to run a small business, and,
  in the case of those in the vocational trades,
  help them convert the skill into self-employed
  business and to prepare young people to work in
  a flexible manner in small a businesses so that
  they understand small companies, recognizing that
  at least a third of the adult work ultimately
  work in small firms.
• Development of enterprising young people,
  reinforcing and building enterprising behaviors
  such as opportunity seeking taking and problem
  solving, as well as by interpersonal skills
  training and development to build their self
  confidence, self-awareness and ability to work in
  groups.

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Re-evaluate business education

• There is an acute need to recognize that many of
  the convention traditional business and
  management education are not appropriate if the
  aim is to encourage small business development
  and entrepreneurship. Small business and
  entrepreneurship education should be
  entrepreneurial. It needs to be focused on the
  process and content of enterprise development,
  from startup, survival, growth or
  internationalization.

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Access to Technology

• While technology is being used to assist in
  delivering information to women-owned businesses,
  not all have access to such technology. The
  availability, use of and access to technology
  differs dramatically. percentage of women
  business owners uses technology for anything more
  sophisticated than word-processing . Even with
  the explosion of online technology, accessing it
  may be exceedingly costly in many parts of where
  telecommunication services are metered even for
  local calls.
• The use of technology as an information tool is a
  great benefit to those with access to it.
  However, there is real danger of creating a new
  type of poverty or challenge for women business
  owners who do not have technology, cannot afford
  it, or are in areas where the facilities for
  technology support do not yet exist.

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Developing capabilities and skills

• The first priority should be to provide
  opportunities for more women to develop and use
  their entrepreneurial drive in successfully
  initiating businesses.

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Women Helping Themselves

• The potential contribution women entrepreneurs to
  stabilizing their countries economies through
  job creation makes a strong case for policymakers
  give a great attention to them . But if women are
  to succeed as leaders in business, then they are
  going to have helped themselves by building
  strong networks and associations to serve as
  their tools.

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Womens Entrepreneurship Development

• WED is the generic title given to action programs
  addressing specific problems encountered by
  various women groups
• The initiative for developing such programs was
  based on several assumptions
• Few of the women who assumed the risk of starting
  their own business benefit from programs that
  increase their capabilities and skills in running
  a small business venture.
• Few business women have access to updated
  information about available financing schemes and
  apply for them.
• Many women are seeking economic independence but
  few of them have the courage proper knowledge
  to create their own business enterprises.
• Very few women entrepreneurs are aware that they
  could help themselves and contribute to the
  policymaking process by establishing their own
  effective associations.

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Womens Entrepreneurship Development According
to ILO (International Labour Organization)
Developing the knowledge base
Developing support services
Promoting advocacy and voice
WED
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Womens Entrepreneurship Development According
to ILO (International Labour Organization)

• I ) Developing the knowledge base
• It is important to have a through knowledge of
  the situation facing women entrepreneurs the
  problems as well as the opportunities. In
  particular we identify the strategic and
  practical needs of women entrepreneurs. This
  enables us to identify innovative and effective
  means of support for women in business.

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Lessons Drawn from Working Papers Included

• In both the formal and informal economies, women
  entrepreneurs account for a large number of
  enterprises. They require business support
  services, rather than support in the form of
  welfare or charity.
• In some countries, women experience barriers
  mainly at the stage of entering into business.
  Once established, they face many of the same
  problems common to all entrepreneurs.
• Women have difficulty accessing finance, and even
  when they do so they obtain smaller loans than
  men.
• Networks and associations of women entrepreneurs
  can provide much needed support for new and
  emerging women entrepreneurs, and they are well
  positioned to establish womens business centers.
• Support for women entrepreneurs needs to take
  account of womens reproductive and household
  responsibilities, as well as existing gender
  relations and roles between women and men.
• Womens mobility is limited in terms of often
  having to work close to home, having limited
  access to transport, and they have personal
  security considerations.

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II ) Developing support services for women
entrepreneurs.

• Lessons emerging from work on the services
  include
• Support for women entrepreneurs should be
  provided with the knowledge, support and
  participation (where appropriate) of male family
  members.
• Women require more awareness of market
  information and marketing approaches, as well as
  modern means of distribution, to enable them to
  have greater access to national and international
  markets.
• Where possible, integrated approaches to the
  economic empowerment of women should be
  developed, including support for literacy, skills
  training, legal rights, heath education combined
  with entrepreneurship, access to credit and
  skills training.

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III) Promoting advocacy and voice for women
entrepreneurs.

• It is important that women entrepreneurs are able
  to advocate effectively for support, and that
  their voice is heard by policy-makers.
• Advocacy and voice need to be promoted at all
  levels, including creating a more positive
  attitude towards the role that women
  entrepreneurs can and do play in economic
  development .
• Lessons emerging on the Advocacy include
• Many women especially young graduates and
  school-leavers need to be made aware of
  entrepreneurship and enterprise development as
  positive career options.
• By developing a systematic knowledge base and
  compliing facts and figures on the status of
  women entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs voice
  will be taken more seriously by policy-makers

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The Need for Associations

• In the democratic policymaking process, womens
  voices need to be heard. The most efficient way
  of in the policymaking process is through
  independent, private, and nonprofit institutions
  created by women themselves. Through their
  associations and grassroots initiatives, women
  can exert political influence legislative
  proposals that affect their interests. They can
• Educate government agencies about the growing
  importance of women entrepreneurs,
• Exert pressure for the creation of government
  programs to support entrepreneurs or
• Lobby directly for institutional changes that
  support women.

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Womens Business Organizations The Hidden
Strengths and Potential

• The challenges women in business face are a
  matter of intense debate today. These challenges
  are common worldwide. The impact on women
  business owners may differ according to location,
  culture, ethnic barrier economic policies, and
  other such influential factors, but the
  challenges remain essentially the same.
• The obstacles women entrepreneurs face are well
  known ,they have experienced the effect of at
  least one of these challenges
• access to finance
• access to markets
• access to information
• access to training
• access to and influence on policymakers
• By creating public awareness, establishing
  pressure groups, educating the public, financial
  institutions policymakers, companies, and other
  organizations with a vested interest in assisting
  women entrepreneurship womens business
  organizations can become powerful lobbying tools
  while providing a higher level of their members
  and increasing membership. It is fundamental for
  those in a position to assist women owners to
  understand that supporting them is not charity-
  it is economic development .Womens business
  organizations can become the most effective
  vehicle to get this message across to decision
  makers who can make a difference

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Business Women Organizations Common Objectives

• Almost all countries have same kind of womens
  organizations to bring together women business
  owners. The mandates of these organizations may
  differ, but usually have the same priorities as
• Promotion of women business owners and the issues
  which are important to them
• Member support and networking opportunities
• Education, training, and professional development
• Effective lobbying and advocacy
• Business matching and increased business
  opportunities
• National International Exposure cooperation.

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What is the Impact of support for womens
entrepreneurship development

• More jobs for women, and created by women
  entrepreneurs
• Better jobs for women, and in women owned
  enterprises
• Higher profits of women-owned enterprises, and
  more income for their families
• Contributing poverty alleviation
• New knowledge on inequalities affecting women in
  establishing and running their businesses
• More representation of women entrepreneurs in
  policy-making bodies and associations of
  employers and workers
• Developing innovative and replicable approaches
  on WED
• Effective strategic alliances

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• Role of the Government NGOs in Egypt to promote
  Women Entrepreneurship and to eliminate any forms
  of Economic violence against women.

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A- National Council for Women

• The National Council for Women (NCW) was
  established by Presidential Decree No. 90 in the
  year 2000 as an independent institution under the
  Presidency of the Republic.
• The Council is honored to have Her Excellency
  Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, First Lady of Egypt, as
  President .
• The presidential Decree, Article 1 stipulates
  proposing public policy matters for society and
  its constitutional institutions on the
  development and the empowerment of women to
  enable them to play their social and economic
  role and to integrate their efforts in
  comprehensive development programs.

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A- National Council for Women

• To implement the mandate set forth especially in
  the area of the economic empowerment of women,
  the Council has adopted several model programs,
  one of which is The Women Business Development
  Center (WBDC) initiated through an agreement
  signed between the NCW and the US Agency for
  International Development (USAID).
• Its Mission is to enhance skills and capabilities
  of Egyptian women in the field on small business
  enterprises in order to facilitate their dynamic
  participation in the development of the national
  economy.
• Provides training Services, and Business
  Counseling.

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B-NGOs

• B - NGOs
• Including Egyptian Business Women Association ,
  BPW Egypt, other NGOs working on Economic
  Empowerment of Women to have the Power of Choice
  Voice. Through
• Training Courses Capacity Building
• Technical Assistance Support Services
• Advocacy
• Legal Services
• Networking with regional international Business
  Associations.
• Organization of conferences fairs for exchange
  of experience,
• business contacts promotion marketing of
  products.
• Awareness Campaigns through Media, conferences,
  seminars for the need of girls education the
  necessity of the democratic raise up of the girl
  child the elimination of any form of
  discrimination between her her brother child.

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Education of Girls

• The National Council for Women National Council
  of Childhood are also implementing a very big
  campaign for Education of Girls in Collaboration
  with Ministry of Education NGOs.

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Trainings available include

• How to start and manage your own small business
• Diverse Marketing Techniques
• Management and Finance
• How to design a comprehensive Business Plan.
• Crisis Management and Communication Skills
• Tailored training sessions based on the needs of
  clientele.
• Tailored training sessions to improve the skills
  of fresh graduates

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Conclusion

• Yong women entrepreneurship promotion
• Being an Entrepreneur
• A personality which depends on different factors
• 1 Environment way of raising up the girl
  child
• Family parents
• Culture Society
• 2 Education
• School
• Higher education
• 3 Economic Awareness
• 4 Private sector policy governmental support
• 5 Developing skills
• 6 Training courses.
• 7 Networking
• 8 choice of field of business
• 9 Membership in business organizations
  affiliation to regional international business
  organizations

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Thank You