Promoting women leaders in agribusiness

What have we learned from these needs assessments so far?

Assessments conducted among more than 200 women across seven 2SCALE program countries revealed that most women entrepreneurs were young (25-40 years of age), relatively new to the business world and focused on the goal of supplementing their household income. For most, their 5-year plan was to grow their business, increase production volumes and sales to improve their household situation. One stand-out finding was that most women entrepreneurs felt strong leadership in their companies and enjoyed high decision-making power in work settings. However, relatively few were actively engaged in networks with other women entrepreneurs (see Figures 2 & 3 below). They also expressed some challenges that hinder them from achieving the full potential of their businesses. Some of the main challenges were restrictive traditional social norms, lack of access to financial resources, lack of knowledge and information on available financial products, low literacy levels, and lack of a conducive policy environment that supports women in small enterprises.

Note: Needs assessments in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, 2019. N = 82

Note: Needs assessments in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, 2019. N = 82

Between 2018-2021, in Ghana, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, we worked with 117 women using a standard training curriculum, including developing a business model, customer research, value proposition design, finance, and pitching. On top of that, we introduced gender-specific modules; for example, removing limiting beliefs among women entrepreneurs. After the training and a webinar held in Ghana where all the business champions of the different partnerships were in attendance, women were able to keep the conversations and connections alive through a WhatsApp group that is still active to date. After conducting the needs assessment, it was evident that women had other gender-specific needs that were significant hindrances. Therefore, a new gendered training toolkit was developed. It helps entrepreneur support programs to reach out to women entrepreneurs, develop their businesses, connect them and build a gender-smart network around them. It was designed with a keen interest in incorporating the insights gathered from the needs assessment conducted in nine of the focus countries. Thirty women from Nigeria have been trained on time management, networking, dealing with demanding customers, having men as allies, dealing with gender bias, and self-confidence.

What have we learned working in Aya since 2018? Women entrepreneurs joining the program often have leadership skills, decision-making power and confidence to run their businesses. However, they lack business skills and knowledge that Aya trainings can help fill, especially when these trainings are tailored to their specific needs and ambitions. Aya participants rate training very positively, and many have gone on to grow and scale their businesses since, despite the coronavirus pandemic and the many logistic challenges it brought. One lesson learned is the importance of building networks among women entrepreneurs, not just for sharing knowledge and skills but also for fostering solidarity and support. From the needs assessment, it is clear that many women entrepreneurs lacked connections to networks with other women and other women entrepreneurs. In Figure 3 for example, 33% of Aya participants in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia were not members of a group where they could share business experiences and learn from one another. More than half of those who did belong to such a group were not very active in it. Nevertheless, Aya entrepreneurs have forged new networks with one another with enthusiasm and kept them going through social media and other platforms.

Where Aya is heading next

In 2022, AYA is shifting to an even more tailored, needs-based approach. The needs assessment will be conducted in Kenya, Nigeria, Niger, Egypt, South Sudan, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Mali with partnerships in different value chains such as rice, soya, millet, palm oil, plantain, dried fruits and vegetables, maize, and legumes. The needs assessment results will form the basis for the training and tailored engagement of Aya with women entrepreneurs in these partnerships. There are also plans to build a virtual community for women in agribusiness across Africa through the Aya Facebook page and an online campaign creating awareness around different issues affecting women in agriculture. This Facebook campaign will culminate in a webinar that will bring together all the women in the virtual community from the different African countries.

In the year ahead, Aya will also explore its impact on women entrepreneurs and implement a robust learning agenda to capture and share lessons learned through this work. On the impact side, we will employ participatory qualitative and quantitative methods to explore whether and how Aya contributes to women entrepreneurs achieving their goals and meeting their needs. The learning agenda will focus on learning how we can build our knowledge about the context of the program, the populations we seek to engage and our internal implementation work. Participatory qualitative methods such as focus groups and diary methods will be used for data collection to allow for in-depth conversations with the women. This information will help inform areas of improvement and demonstrate Aya's impact. We look forward to sharing evidence of our impacts and lessons learned widely in the year ahead.