Information need of women Entrepreneurs in Ethiopia: A Case of Ethiopian women entrepreneurs association members

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Date

1999-06

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Publisher

Addis Ababa University

Abstract

Women are the most disregarded members of the community in Third World countries. They are neglected in education, participation in the economy, politics, social and other cultural aspects of the country. They are also ignorant about the current information revolution and are far from information and communication technologies. This marginalization is the result of religious and cultural biases the community has on women and the conception of women on themselves. However, concerned international and national organizations are currently putting efforts in increasing the participation of women in the economy, management, politics, and other activities. Generally speaking, women are involved in every aspect of the economy, 'nevertheless their participation is very much significant in the informal sectors which provide subsistence income source for their livelihood. To improve their economic involvement and income, they have started to organize themselves under one umbrella, i.e., they have formed an association called Ethiopian Women Entrepreneurs Association, whose objective is to improve the standard of living of women entrepreneurs by providing the necesswy assistance to them. The Association has a mission of providing the necessary information to women entrepreneurs regarding investment opportunities, market potential, credit sources, training sources, etc. and disseminates it to them through mass media, workshop, seminar, trade fair, and so on. However, it is not functioning as stated in its term of reference. To provide an important information service, a thorough study on the needs of women entrepreneurs is essential, but it is not conducted. In this study, a survey of information requirements of sample women entrepreneurs is conducted and, based on that an appropriate database is proposed, a prototype is implemented, and important recommendations are incorporated.

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Keywords

Information need of women, Entrepreneurs in Ethiopia

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