An Analysis of the Challenges of Women Entrepreneurs and the Performance of Micro and Small Scale Enterprises in Uganda: A Case Study of Mukono District.

Abstract

AHABYOONA FAITH MUGISHA (2008-M102-20002) An Analysis of the Challenges of Women Entrepreneurs and the Performance of Micro and Small Scale Enterprises in Uganda: A Case Study of Mukono District. This study examines the “challenges” that affect the performance of women entrepreneurs in Uganda using Mukono as the case study; “challenges” here refers to factors limiting the growth and development of women entrepreneurship. Uganda is among the countries upholding the millennium goals in order to eradicate poverty and the use of entrepreneurship is a key aspect in this programme especially for major stakeholders that are women. Mukono district was chosen because it is a typical representation of both situations of rural but rapidly developing town located 25KM out of the city Kampala in the eastern direction. Performance for this study was interpreted to mean key factors of quantity produced, market readiness and availability, consistent in improvement of the production process and the price fetched by the products produced. This study examines the “challenges” that affect the performance of women entrepreneurs, the constraints they face, and the entrepreneurial ventures they have established over the past decade. The challenges examined included lack of access to trade financing, inadequate training and skills, limited access to product markets, high interest rates, poor bargaining power, socio- cultural ties, government policy on taxation, unfair labour laws and inaccessibility to equipment use. The entrepreneurial ventures invested in by these women entrepreneurs in the past decade include: agriculture, processing industries, retail shops and others that included all forms of cottage firms and online trading The primary objective was to explore the challenges that limit the performance of women entrepreneurs‟ micro and small scale enterprises in Uganda. This will help attract support to mitigate the challenges and help alleviate them from their present state of deprivation and poverty. From the findings of the study, it was discovered that lacking of access to trade financing, followed by inadequate training and skills ranked highest with 95% and 88% respectively. And the greatest possible strategy to counteract this state according to the survey was increased access to development skills and improved enterprise capital funding and each showed a 93% and 95% recommendation respectively. Key Words: Challenges, Women Entrepreneurs, Micro and Small Scale Enterprises, Mukono District.