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Financial Inclusion and Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship Kigali, Rwanda

Received: 26 September 2025     Accepted: 3 November 2025     Published: 17 December 2025
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Abstract

Women entrepreneurs continue to face substantial barriers in accessing financial resources, which significantly impedes their ability to initiate and grow business ventures. Despite global efforts to promote entrepreneurship, business failures remain prevalent among women-led enterprises, particularly in developing economies such as Rwanda. This persistent challenge underscores the importance of examining the relationship between Financial Inclusion and the development of women’s entrepreneurship. Financial Inclusion has long been recognized as a critical enabler of entrepreneurial activity. However, the availability of financial resources alone does not guarantee business success or sustainability. This study investigates the extent to which Financial Inclusion influences entrepreneurship development among women in Rwanda. Specifically, it explores the role financial access plays in entrepreneurial growth, identifies key strategies that promote women’s entrepreneurship, and analyzes the correlation between access to financial services and entrepreneurial outcomes. To quantify the impact of financial access on entrepreneurship development, the study employed statistical methods, including the use of beta coefficients. The findings reveal that women entrepreneurs in Rwanda face significant difficulties in accessing affordable and adequate financial services. This limited financial inclusion constrains their potential to scale their businesses and contribute to economic development. Based on the findings, the study recommends the implementation of targeted financial interventions, the development of inclusive financial policies, and the provision of entrepreneurship education and training programs. These strategies are essential for creating an enabling environment that supports and strengthens women’s entrepreneurship in Rwanda.

Published in Journal of Business and Economic Development (Volume 10, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.jbed.20251004.14
Page(s) 200-207
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Finance, Inclusion, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Business

References
[1] OECD/European Commission. (2019). The Missing Entrepreneurs 2019: Policies for inclusive entrepreneurship. OECD Publishing.
[2] World Bank. (2021). Empowering women entrepreneurs in developing countries: A review of evidence and policy recommendations.
[3] Finscope Rwanda. (2023). Rwanda Financial Inclusion and Gender Report. National Bank of Rwanda.
[4] Quinones, M. (2016). Empowering women entrepreneurs through Financial Inclusion and training. Global Entrepreneurship Review, 4(2), 45-58.
[5] World Bank. (2023). Rwanda Economic Update: Enhancing entrepreneurship for inclusive growth. Washington, DC: World Bank Group.
[6] Gaye, A. (2018). Women entrepreneurs in Africa: Trends and challenges. African Development Review, 30(3), 241-251.
[7] Adusei, M. (2016). Entrepreneurship and regional development in Africa. Journal of African Business, 17(2), 175-190.
[8] Gibard, P., & Chalus-Sauvannet, M. (2022). Financing women entrepreneurs in emerging markets. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 14(2), 198-215.
[9] NISR (National Institute of Statistics Rwanda). (2023). Rwanda Economic Survey. Kigali.
[10] Finscope Rwanda. (2023). Rwanda Financial Inclusion and Gender Report. Kigali: National Bank of Rwanda.
[11] MINICOM (Ministry of Trade and Industry, Rwanda). (2024). National Strategy for Gender Equality and Women Empowerment. Kigali.
[12] Jackson, T. (2015). Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies 2014.
[13] Sethi, D., & Acharya, D. (2018). Financial inclusion and economic growth linkage: Some cross country evidence. Journal of Financial Economic Policy, 10(3), 369-385.
[14] Vasudevan, R., & Wasilkowska, K. (2018). Entrepreneurship development interventions for women entrepreneurs: An update on what works. World Bank: World Food Programme.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Kamanzi, J. (2025). Financial Inclusion and Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship Kigali, Rwanda. Journal of Business and Economic Development, 10(4), 200-207. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jbed.20251004.14

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    ACS Style

    Kamanzi, J. Financial Inclusion and Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship Kigali, Rwanda. J. Bus. Econ. Dev. 2025, 10(4), 200-207. doi: 10.11648/j.jbed.20251004.14

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    AMA Style

    Kamanzi J. Financial Inclusion and Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship Kigali, Rwanda. J Bus Econ Dev. 2025;10(4):200-207. doi: 10.11648/j.jbed.20251004.14

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jbed.20251004.14,
      author = {John Kamanzi},
      title = {Financial Inclusion and Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship Kigali, Rwanda},
      journal = {Journal of Business and Economic Development},
      volume = {10},
      number = {4},
      pages = {200-207},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jbed.20251004.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jbed.20251004.14},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jbed.20251004.14},
      abstract = {Women entrepreneurs continue to face substantial barriers in accessing financial resources, which significantly impedes their ability to initiate and grow business ventures. Despite global efforts to promote entrepreneurship, business failures remain prevalent among women-led enterprises, particularly in developing economies such as Rwanda. This persistent challenge underscores the importance of examining the relationship between Financial Inclusion and the development of women’s entrepreneurship. Financial Inclusion has long been recognized as a critical enabler of entrepreneurial activity. However, the availability of financial resources alone does not guarantee business success or sustainability. This study investigates the extent to which Financial Inclusion influences entrepreneurship development among women in Rwanda. Specifically, it explores the role financial access plays in entrepreneurial growth, identifies key strategies that promote women’s entrepreneurship, and analyzes the correlation between access to financial services and entrepreneurial outcomes. To quantify the impact of financial access on entrepreneurship development, the study employed statistical methods, including the use of beta coefficients. The findings reveal that women entrepreneurs in Rwanda face significant difficulties in accessing affordable and adequate financial services. This limited financial inclusion constrains their potential to scale their businesses and contribute to economic development. Based on the findings, the study recommends the implementation of targeted financial interventions, the development of inclusive financial policies, and the provision of entrepreneurship education and training programs. These strategies are essential for creating an enabling environment that supports and strengthens women’s entrepreneurship in Rwanda.},
     year = {2025}
    }
    

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    AU  - John Kamanzi
    Y1  - 2025/12/17
    PY  - 2025
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    T2  - Journal of Business and Economic Development
    JF  - Journal of Business and Economic Development
    JO  - Journal of Business and Economic Development
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    EP  - 207
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
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    AB  - Women entrepreneurs continue to face substantial barriers in accessing financial resources, which significantly impedes their ability to initiate and grow business ventures. Despite global efforts to promote entrepreneurship, business failures remain prevalent among women-led enterprises, particularly in developing economies such as Rwanda. This persistent challenge underscores the importance of examining the relationship between Financial Inclusion and the development of women’s entrepreneurship. Financial Inclusion has long been recognized as a critical enabler of entrepreneurial activity. However, the availability of financial resources alone does not guarantee business success or sustainability. This study investigates the extent to which Financial Inclusion influences entrepreneurship development among women in Rwanda. Specifically, it explores the role financial access plays in entrepreneurial growth, identifies key strategies that promote women’s entrepreneurship, and analyzes the correlation between access to financial services and entrepreneurial outcomes. To quantify the impact of financial access on entrepreneurship development, the study employed statistical methods, including the use of beta coefficients. The findings reveal that women entrepreneurs in Rwanda face significant difficulties in accessing affordable and adequate financial services. This limited financial inclusion constrains their potential to scale their businesses and contribute to economic development. Based on the findings, the study recommends the implementation of targeted financial interventions, the development of inclusive financial policies, and the provision of entrepreneurship education and training programs. These strategies are essential for creating an enabling environment that supports and strengthens women’s entrepreneurship in Rwanda.
    VL  - 10
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Author Information
  • School of Entrepreneurship, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture Technology, Nairobi, Kenya

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