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Nancy Lohalo

Username: lohalonancy.ispgombe@gmail.com

Email: lohalonancy.ispgombe@gmail.com

Biography: Dr. Nancy A. Lohalo is an economist and associate professor at the Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de la Gombe (ISP-Gombe) in Kinshasa, DR Congo. She earned her Ph.D. in International Trade from the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) in Beijing. Her doctoral research focused on the interplay between digitalization and women's economic empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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

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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.

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.

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.

Thank you for your thorough presentation. The concept of CBHI supported by digital platforms truly seems like a groundbreaking solution, not only for addressing unmet healthcare needs but also for reinforcing a sense of community and shared responsibility among migrants. In terms of expanding and strengthening this model, what are some potential next steps to make CBHI more sustainable and widely applicable across Europe? Could partnerships with local healthcare providers or public health agencies help?

Thank you for this insightful presentation. Understanding the impact and necessity of gender-based policies in the digital realm is indeed vital, especially within the unique context of African countries. On that note, I would appreciate your perspective on digital literacy, as it remains a significant challenge. Women in Africa, on average, exhibit markedly lower levels of digital literacy compared to men, which underscores the need for targeted policies to bridge this gap. A tailored approach is essential to address these disparities effectively. Thank you again.

Thank you very much for your comment, Agnes. Indeed, the results seemed unexpected, at the same time, it reveils the urgent need to accelerate digital infrastructure development in many African countries in order to unleash the transformative potential of digitalization. Financing digital infrastructures and creating adequate legal framework that also take into consideration the gender component require well-tailored strategies. For instance, public-private partnerships can constitute a venue to be explored when developing digital infrastructures, and specific policies aimed at women digital empowerment can be created.

Thank you very much for your comment Soledad. Digital entrepreneurship can indeed constitute a powerful tool for women's empowerment. In many Sub-Saharan African countries, women tend to take part in entrepreneurial activities for survival purposes and are often operating in the informal sector. For instance, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, estimates show that more than 80% of women partake in the informal economy, and only 8% of registered firms were female-owned according to the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES) conducted a few years ago. Nevertheless, as you mentionned, an increasing number of women entrepreneurs, from both sides, are increasingly integrating digital components in their way of doing business. We need to create an environment that will unleash digital entrepreneurship for women in Africa.

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Nancy Lohalo

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