Factors Affecting Women Entrepreneurs In Establishing And Growing Their Enterprises In Tanzania: The Case Of Dodoma Municipality

ABSTRACT

This study has aimed at investigating the factors affecting women entrepreneurs in establishing and growing their enterprises in Dodoma Municipality, Tanzania. Specifically, the study specifically intended to understand the push and pull factors which made women to go into business endeavours, to identify the key factors which hindered women entrepreneurs in establishing their enterprises, and to understand the limiting factors for the growth of women based established enterprises.

The research design adopted was a cross-sectional descriptive survey and a sample size of 50 women who owned and ran business enterprises were selected. The selection technique used was a snow balling due to the difficulty of locating the respondents. Data was analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

The study uncovered five main factors which pushed women to go into business activities in the study area. They are; the need for independence in managing own activities, need to exercise self-creativity, a necessity of requiring to add an income into the family, need to acquire social value and the need to have alternative employment. Most of these factors are more inclined to the need of autonomy in managing things. In addition, the study has discovered three factors that respondents reported to have motivated them, to engage in entrepreneurial activities. These are; self entrepreneur‟s character, being dissatisfied with paid labour and getting support from family members such as a spouse, relatives, friends, etc. In most cases,actually the factors came from the inside of the entrepreneurs themselves.

The study further has revealed numerous factors which hindered the establishment of women owned firms. These include but not limited to,an inadequate access to finance, stiff competition, high tariffs of utilities (water and electricity) and poor infrastructures. Furthermore, the study uncovered a host of factors which impeded the growth of the women based established firms. These include among others,the lack of capital, poor

business environment, high interest rates charged by banks, lack of market and high costs of transportation.

It is hereby recommended that, the government should continue with its effort to improve the infrastructures as a means to support, not only women entrepreneurs but also other stakeholders, in engaging in economic activities. The government and other well wishers are also requested to provide capacity building programmes to women entrepreneurs through training and seminars, on the availability of markets and capital in order to empower them. Finally, MFIs are warmly requested to reduce the interest rates as well as minimize the conditionalities, of giving credits so as to a create more favourable environment for women who were engaged in business activities to borrow.