Our Objectives

Exploring the Realities of Female Entrepreneurship in Two West African Capitals: Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and Lomé in Togo. Specifically:

​

1. Describe and contrast the diverse aspects of female entrepreneurship in Lomé and Ouagadougou today, including women working in self-employment within the informal sector, those who are employers heading micro, small, and large enterprises, and social entrepreneurs working within associations of various sizes and areas of activity.

 

2. Document the changes over time within different categories of female entrepreneurs in Ouagadougou and Lomé. This includes changes in sector or type of associations, field of activity, context of operations, level of remuneration, and job satisfaction.

 

3. Analyze the impact of social and economic characteristics of women, such as residential and social origin and education level, as well as marital and family events (cohabitation, marriage, childbirth, divorce) on their entrepreneurial trajectories. Examine how these effects vary by category of entrepreneurs and generation.

 

4. Identify factors explaining the choice of certain entrepreneurial activities over others and those facilitating resilience and "success" in entrepreneurship. Consider the financial, social, or cultural obstacles that female entrepreneurs have faced and continue to face, as well as the opportunities they have encountered throughout their entrepreneurial journeys, particularly their ability to mobilize family and community networks. Analyze how these obstacles and opportunities vary among different categories of entrepreneurs in both capitals.