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...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	World Bank Institute, International Finance Corporation
Format:	Working Paper
Language:	English en_US
Published:	Washington, DC 2014
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

Description
Summary:	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.

Striving for Business Success : Voices of Liberian Women Entrepreneurs

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