IMPEDIMENTS OF VIABLE ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITY IMPLEMENTATION ON PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY OF WOMEN OWNED FAST FOOD SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN CHUKA TOWN

Abstract

Women owned small and medium enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa continue to record poor performances compared to their male counterparts. Women entrepreneurship represents a vast untapped source of innovation, job creation and economic growth in the developing world which has a root in viable opportunity implementation which impediments women entrepreneurs to promote a sustainable fast food enterprise. The World Economic Forum shows little progress in narrowing the economic gap between women and men, Innovative initiatives to promote women’s entrepreneurship driven by both the private and public sectors are on decline which worries more. The barriers to women’s entrepreneurship are various: Women face greater obstacles in accessing affordable credit facilities, absence of business plan and limited entrepreneurial skills. The target population was 50 women owned fast food enterprises registered under Tharaka-Nithi County Government. A total of 100 respondents were sampled from owners of 50 SMEs meaning 2 were taken from each enterprise. Data was collected using a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire to gather perception from the respondents. Based on the study it was found out that most of the women entrepreneurs did not possess relevant entrepreneurial skills and also limited access to affordable credit facilities, at the same time they did not have business plan necessary to guide them in implementation of the business opportunities. Some of the recommendations includes: availing trainings to women entrepreneurs through capacity building, linking women to affordable credit facilities, connecting them to networks and exchange programmes. Those who embrace women’s entrepreneurship as an opportunity are likely to reap the rewards in new market opportunities and higher development impact.