African+Women+in+the+Entrepreneurial+Landscape.+Reconsidering+the+Formal+and+Informal+Sectors

Spring, Anita(2009) 'African Women in the Entrepreneurial Landscape: Reconsidering the Formal and Informal Sectors', Journal of African Business, 10: 1, 11 — 30

This article distinguishes the Formal and Informal sectors that characterize Africa’s “Dual Economy.” Author Anita Spring discusses these economic sectors and argues that women generally fall in the Informal sector which refers to unregistered, unregulated, and untaxed businesses, including service enterprises, production activities, and street vendor sales. Under the heading “Mobility Within and Between Sectors” (23) Spring lists factors that limit women entrepreneurs upward movement within and between the sectors. Finally, she concludes that while most African women entrepreneurs are lower on the scale, there are a growing number of women at the top who provide role models of achievement within their countries. This article is valuable contribution to the work that we are conducting in partnership with CARE Canada because it aides in our understanding of the current entrepreneurial environment in Africa (the article was published in 2009) and can assist in developing a more consistent idea of how we can facilitate the inclusion of women and girls within Africa’s entrepreneurial landscape, namely the Formal sector.