Influence of Women Enterprise Fund Training on Socio-Economic Empowerment of Rural Women: A Survey of Rural Women Entrepreneurs in Moiben Sub-County, Kenya

  • Rael J Ngelechei Moi University
  • Prof. Omboto O Peter Moi University
  • Jonah K Maiyo Moi University
  • Agnes J Rono Rift Valley Technical Training Institute
Keywords: Women Enterprise Fund, training, empowerment, SMEs

Abstract

As globalization reshapes the international economic landscape and technological change creates greater uncertainty in the world economy, the dynamism of entrepreneurship is believed to be able to help to meet the new economic, social and environmental challenges. Governments increasingly consider entrepreneurship and innovation to be the cornerstones of a competitive national economy, and in most countries entrepreneurship policies are closely connected, to help meet the new economic, social and environmental challenges. Women in rural areas have limited access to vocational and technical training especially in developing countries. In fact, women on average have less access to education than men, and technical and vocational skills can only be developed on a strong foundation of basic primary and secondary education. Several researchers have identified various challenges faced by women in SMEs including lack of innovative capacity, lack of managerial training and experience, inadequate education and skills, technological change, poor infrastructure, scanty market information and lack of access to credit. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have both the potential and the historic task of bringing millions of people from the survivalist level including the informal economy to the mainstream economy. The study adopted descriptive survey using quantitative approach in data collection, analysis and presentation. It targets all rural women entrepreneurs in SMES in the area of study who were WEF beneficiaries. From the target population a sample size was arrived at by applying the 30% rule and considering the homogeneity of the respondent (30/100=0.3) 0.3x290 the sample stood at 87 randomly selected. Questionnaires were administered to collect data which was analyzed using descriptive analysis and presented in a table. This paper concludes that Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) have benefitted women in SMEs sector by enabling and support capacity building and training of the gaining business skills, acquisition of business management skills. However, the WEF seem to have inadequate information to allow efficient contents specific to the beneficiaries in training and therefore it should collaborate more with other institutions such as TVET institutions to build entrepreneurial attitudes and skills.

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Published
2017-10-01
How to Cite
Ngelechei, R., Peter, P. O., Maiyo, J., & Rono, A. (2017). Influence of Women Enterprise Fund Training on Socio-Economic Empowerment of Rural Women: A Survey of Rural Women Entrepreneurs in Moiben Sub-County, Kenya. Africa Journal of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, 2(1), 203-210. Retrieved from https://afritvet.org/index.php/Afritvet/article/view/50