Employment Vulnerability in Sub-Saharan Africa: Digital Entrepreneurship as a Tool for Women’s Economic Empowerment

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Approach

Purpose
In a world where societies are increasingly benefiting from new waves of
technological progress and transitioning towards a digital economy, women’s empowerment remains a global priority. In many Sub-Saharan
African countries, high levels of women’s economic participation often imply “quantity over quality”, reflecting their “engagement” in vulnerable employment. Women’s economic emergence is crucial to ensuring human rights and sustainable development.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of Internet and ICT advancement on vulnerable female employment. Digitalization represents a powerful tool for empowering women through better integration into local and international markets, particularly through digital platforms. The study explores how digital entrepreneurship can empower women in lower-income Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries economically, transitioning them from vulnerable employment to more secure and sustainable economic activities.

Design/Methodology/Approach:
The empirical investigation aims to determine the relationship between digitalization and vulnerable female employment in lower-income SSA countries, utilizing a panel ARDL approach to distinguish between short- and long-run effects. This methodology allows for an exploration of how digital platforms can empower women.

Findings
Evidence indicates that while combined, Internet and ICT advancement estimators (Internet penetration, mobile phone ownership, and fixed broadband) exhibit weak predictive power. Empirical findings have demonstrated that women in vulnerable employment are most likely to be positively impacted by mobile technology. These findings suggest that digital entrepreneurship can provide economic agency to women in these regions.

Originality/value
This study highlights the importance of digitalization and its potential to empower women economically in Sub-Saharan Africa. It recommends that policymakers formulate policies to create a supportive environment for digital entrepreneurship; to raise awareness of digital opportunities; and to accelerate ICT development. By doing so, women can gain better access to and benefit more effectively from the digital economy, thereby reducing their economic vulnerability.

Questions and comments to the author/s

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October 22, 2024 at 10:41 am

Dear Nancy,
Thank you for your participation. We are conducting research in the contexts of Bissau and Dar es Salaam on this issue, but many questions are now emerging about the capacity of technology to empower women given the bankarisation it entails. So I don't know whether it can really be an empowering tool or whether it generates benefits for private enterprise and very little for women entrepreneurs in the African context. These are dilemmas that arise from the research and that perhaps you could comment on from your paper here.

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November 12, 2024 at 6:53 pm

Thank you for raising a crucial point. Our study on digital entrepreneurship also reflects this complexity. While digital tools open new paths for economic participation and skill building, they indeed often require navigating financial systems that might prioritize profit over empowerment. This brings us to an interesting question about finding a balance: How can we create digital frameworks that genuinely prioritize women’s needs over purely commercial interests? I would be interested in hearing how your research in Bissau and Dar es Salaam addresses this dilemma.

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October 22, 2024 at 3:32 pm

Dear Nancy and Monique,

Congrats for your presentation and showing your work. It sheds light on a quite relevant issue for women in Sub Sahara. I am not sure if your research focus on individual women. Have you considered how it could help other entrepreneurial women empower themselves and build empowerment networks?

Thank you.

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November 12, 2024 at 6:54 pm

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Our research indeed examines individual digital entrepreneurship, focusing on how digitalization can reduce employment vulnerability among women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Building on your insightful suggestion, examining the formation of empowerment networks among entrepreneurial women could provide a powerful lens for further research. Such networks could amplify resources, knowledge, and support, fostering a more collective approach to empowerment.

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October 24, 2024 at 8:35 pm

Dear Nancy,
Thanks for your presentation. It was like I could continue listening. I would like to hear from you what and how context (urban and rural) could be beneficial to ICT and internet? Also, which generation does ICT and internet reduce vulnerabilities to employment?
Thank you

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November 12, 2024 at 6:59 pm

Thank you for your insightful comment. The influence of ICT and internet access indeed varies across urban and rural contexts. IUrban areas often provide better infrastructure, making it easier for women entrepreneurs to leverage digital tools for market access and networking. However, in rural areas, ICT could also be transformative, especially with targeted investments in mobile technology, as mobile access remains more widespread and impactful in these regions.

As for generational impact, younger generations are generally more adept at adopting digital tools, but there’s growing evidence that ICT can empower women across age groups by providing economic opportunities and flexible work.

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November 13, 2024 at 2:11 pm

Thank you Dr. Nancy for capturing the employment sector with the increased huge gap in Sub-Sahanaran region through digital entrepreneurship which has clear potential benefits, I wonder about the structural challenges many women face in accessing technology, finance, and even digital literacy. Digital entrepreneurship can empower, but only if women have equitable access to the tools and networks needed to succeed. It might be interesting to explore how these structural barriers could be addressed in tandem with digital initiatives.

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