Striving for Business Success : Voices of Liberian Women Entrepreneurs

Women in post-conflict economies face a number of challenges. Often their businesses stay at embryonic stages only, due to three key limitations relating to: knowledge of business vision and management; access to finance and markets; and access to role models and networks. Added to the complexity is the risk of having to start all over again due to their countriesapos; political instability and the limited infrastructure to make their businesses proper and become more efficient over time. This report presents findings on the situation of women entrepreneurs in Liberia. It discusses the challenges that female entrepreneurs face as well as enabling factors that they encounter when operating their businesses in Liberiaapos;s post-conflict environment. Through the voices and experiences of women - as in the IFC series quot;Voices of Women Entrepreneursquot; that inspires it - this report sheds some light on the specificities of women doing business in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS), such as those in Liberia. It identifies operational lessons and proposes recommendations on how to support women entrepreneurs and contribute to their economic empowerment in the transition from post-conflict to reconstruction and development. The women interviewed for this report highlighted how obstacles, such as limited financial infrastructure, restricted access to markets, and most importantly, insufficient networks to support women entrepreneurs, stifle efforts to create sustainable solutions for women entrepreneurs. The report offers operational lessons and recommendations on how to address these challenges and support womenapos;s economic participation and empowerment.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	World Bank Institute, International Finance Corporation
Format:	Working Paper biblioteca
Language:	English en_US
Published:	Washington, DC 2014-04-01
Subjects:	ACCESS FOR WOMEN, ACCESS TO CREDIT, ACCESS TO FINANCE, ACCESS TO MARKETS, ADOLESCENT GIRLS, ADULT WOMEN, ASSET OWNERSHIP, ASSISTANCE TO WOMEN, BANK CREDIT, BANK OFFICE, BANKS, BARRIERS TO ENTRY, BORROWING, BRAIN DRAIN, BRIBES, BUSINESS ACTIVITIES, BUSINESS ADVICE, BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, BUSINESS INFORMATION, BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, BUSINESS NETWORK, BUSINESS NETWORKS, BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS, BUSINESS OWNER, BUSINESS PEOPLE, BUSINESS PLAN, BUSINESS PLANS, BUSINESS RISKS, BUSINESS STRATEGY, BUSINESS SUCCESS, BUSINESS TRAINING, BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS, BUSINESS WOMAN, BUSINESS WOMEN, BUSINESS · EDUCATION, BUSINESSWOMAN, BUSINESSWOMEN, CAPACITY OF WOMEN, CAPITAL FORMATION, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, CIVIL WAR, COMMERCIAL BANK, COMMERCIAL BANKS, CORRUPTION, CREDIT BUREAU, CREDIT BUREAUS, CREDIT LINES, CREDIT MARKETS, CUSTOM, CUSTOMARY LAW, DEBT, DEPOSITORS, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT FINANCE, DISABLED, DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES, EARNINGS, ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES, ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, ECONOMIC AGENTS, ECONOMIC CRISIS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT, ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, EDUCATION LEVEL, EDUCATION SYSTEM, EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN, ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT, ENTREPRENEUR, ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, ENVIRONMENT FOR WOMEN, EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES, EQUITY FUNDS, EXTENDED FAMILIES, FAMILIES, FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES, FAMILY SUPPORT, FARMER, FARMERS, FEMALE BORROWERS, FEMALE BUSINESS, FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR, FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS, FEMALE LABOR, FEMALE LABOR FORCE, FINANCE COMPANY, FINANCES, FINANCIAL APPLICATIONS, FINANCIAL EDUCATION, FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, FINANCIAL LITERACY, FINANCIAL PRODUCTS, FINANCIAL SKILLS, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, FOOD SECURITY, FORMAL BANKS, FORMAL EDUCATION, GENDER, GENDER EQUALITY, GENDER GAPS, GENDER INEQUALITIES, GENDER ISSUES, GENDER NEEDS, GENDER ROLES, GENDER SEGREGATION, GIRLS, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, GROWTH OF WOMEN, HANDICRAFTS, HOUSEHOLD CHORES, HOUSEHOLDS, HUSBAND, IMMIGRATION, INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES, INDIVIDUAL ENTREPRENEURS, INDIVIDUAL WOMEN, INFORMAL ECONOMY, INFORMAL NETWORKS, INFORMAL SECTOR, INFORMATION SERVICES, INFORMATION SHARING, INSECURE PROPERTY, INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITIES, INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY, INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS, INTEREST RATES, INTERNATIONAL FINANCE, INVESTMENT CAPITAL, INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES, LABOR FORCE SURVEY, LABOR MARKET, LABOUR FORCE, LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION, LACK OF ACCESS, LACK OF CAPITAL, LACK OF COLLATERAL, LACK OF CREDIT, LACK OF FINANCE, LAND OWNERSHIP, LAND RIGHTS, LIMITED ACCESS, LITERATE FEMALES, LOANS TO BUSINESSES, LOANS TO WOMEN, MARKET INFORMATION, MERCHANT, MICROCREDIT, MICROFINANCE, MINISTRY OF GENDER, MORTGAGE, NEEDS OF WOMEN, NEEDS OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS, NEW BUSINESSES, NUTRITION, OLDER WOMEN, OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, PEACE, PERSONAL SAVINGS, POLICY DIALOGUE, POLICY ENVIRONMENT, POLICY MAKERS, POLITICAL INSTABILITY, POPULATION CENSUS, POSTCONFLICT SETTINGS, PREGNANCY, PRODUCTIVITY, PROGRESS, PROPERTY RIGHTS, PROPORTION OF WOMEN, QUALITATIVE INFORMATION, RATES OF ILLITERACY, REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS, REPAYMENT, REPAYMENT HISTORY, REPAYMENT RATES, ROLE MODELS, ROLE OF WOMEN, RULE OF LAW, RURAL WOMEN, SECURITIES, SELF-EMPLOYMENT, SEXUAL ASSAULT, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, SEXUAL VIOLENCE, SHOP OWNER, SITUATION OF WOMEN, SMALL BUSINESS, SMALL BUSINESSES, SMALL LOAN, SOCIAL NETWORKS, SOURCES OF CREDIT, SOURCES OF FINANCE, START-UP, START-UP CAPITAL, TECHNICAL SKILLS, UNITED NATIONS, VIOLENCE, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, VULNERABILITY, WAR, WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS, WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS, WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, WOMEN FARMERS, WOMEN IN BUSINESS, WOMEN-BUSINESS OWNERS, WORKFORCE, YOUNG WOMEN,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/04/20339242/striving-business-success-voices-liberian-women-entrepreneurs http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20816
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