Nigeria’s Female Entrepreneurs: Obstacles Faced by Small Women-Led Businesses, 2015-2025

Abstract

Abstract This thesis investigates obstacles facing Nigerian female entrepreneurs, which limit the scalability of their enterprises. Using a mixed-methods approach, I present six case studies of entrepreneurs in the Nigerian furniture industry, along with other primary and secondary data from reliable sources such as peer-reviewed journals and reputable news agencies. Although analysts predict that Nigeria’s GDP could grow by US$229 billion over a decade if women engaged in the workforce at the same level as men—an opportunity too great to be missed—in 2024, 71.6% of female-led businesses still lacked access to business funding. Africa’s creative economy has been tapped as a high-growth catalyst that could add US$140-150 billion to the continent’s economy over the next five years while driving inclusion. However, the women-owned and led small and medium enterprises (WSME) that underpin it remain grossly underfunded. I argue that the current gap exists — not for want of effort, opportunity, or affirmative action, but in spite of them. Furthermore, beyond the obvious lack of access to credit are less-evident biases that need to be addressed. Keywords: WSMEs, gender gap, female entrepreneurs, sociocultural norms, unconscious bias