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The Impact Of Microcredit On Womenowned Small And Medium Enterprises: Evidence From Kenya

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  • Clemencia Osa Ouma
  • Charles M. Rambo

Abstract

Microcredit is a crucial tool for economic empowerment of women. In Kenya, the microcredit industry has supported more than 3 million small and medium enterprises for close to 30 years. Kenya Women Finance Trust is a leading microcredit institution dealing exclusively with financing needs of women. However, whether the services provided by the institution have spurred growth among women-owned enterprises remains undocumented. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of access to microcredit services on the growth of women-owned enterprises within the Central Business District of Kisumu City. To accomplish this, we sourced primary data from 190 women entrepreneurs. The study found that access to microcredit significantly associated with sales, net profit, number of paid workers and liabilities. Thus, access to microcredit had positive effects on the growth of women-owned enterprises. In addition, Kenya Women Finance Trust’s lending policies were not responsive to financing needs of women and to changes in the business environment. This undermined the potential of funded enterprises to achieve sustainable growth. The study recommends the need to review the financial institution’s lending policies, increase the amount of microcredit funds and encourage other actors to finance women-owned enterprises.

Suggested Citation

  • Clemencia Osa Ouma & Charles M. Rambo, 2013. "The Impact Of Microcredit On Womenowned Small And Medium Enterprises: Evidence From Kenya," Global Journal of Business Research, The Institute for Business and Finance Research, vol. 7(5), pages 57-69.
    • Handle: RePEc:ibf:gjbres:v:7:y:2013:i:5:p:57-69
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shahidur R. Khandker, 2005. "Microfinance and Poverty: Evidence Using Panel Data from Bangladesh," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 19(2), pages 263-286.
    2. Rosemary Atieno, 2001. "Formal and informal institutions’ lending policies and access to credit by small-scale enterprises in Kenya: An empirical assessment," Working Papers 111, African Economic Research Consortium, Research Department.
    3. Rosemary Atieno, 2009. "Linkages, Access to Finance and the Performance of Small-Scale Enterprises in Kenya," WIDER Working Paper Series RP2009-06, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Jonathan Morduch, 1999. "The Microfinance Promise," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 37(4), pages 1569-1614, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. P. V. Viswanath, 2017. "Microcredit and Survival Microenterprises: The Role of Market Structure," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-25, December.
    2. Rafiatul Adlin Hj Mohd Ruslan & Christopher Gan & Baiding Hu & Nguyen Thi Thieu Quang, 2020. "Impact of Microcredit on SMEs Performance in Malaysia," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 19(1), pages 109-130, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Access; Microcredit; Small and Medium Enterprises; Women-Owned; Central Business District;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance

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