Informal entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment: An asset-based perspective on the lived experiences of Swati women

Perceived traditionally as caregivers and confronted with high national unemployment, many women in the Kingdom of eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) struggle to secure formal work. Consequently, some turn to the informal sector. This research explored how informal, small-scale entrepreneurship by women in eSwatini influences personal levels of empowerment. Guided by Kabeer’s empowerment theory and Nel’s integrated Sustainable Livelihoods/Asset-Based Community Development approach, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 participants in Hhohho, eSwatini and analysed using thematic analysis. Key findings revealed that informal entrepreneurship had a positive influence on participants’ individual empowerment in terms of access to and control over resources, exercise of agency, and experience of achievements, which are the necessary conditions of empowerment. This research foregrounds an asset-based perspective of informal women entrepreneurs in eSwatini as drivers of change, highlighting their lived experiences and emphasising their capacity to contribute to positive socio-economic gains at individual, household, and community levels.