Since the inception of the new dispensation, entrepreneurship has been identified as one of the key enablers of economic participation. For this reason the government has established strategic institutions and mandated them to promote entrepreneurship in the country with the aim of increasing economic participation and entrepreneurial activities. One of the key and the fastest growing industries that have been identified as needing attention with regards to increasing participation of the women entrepreneurs is the tourism industry. There is now a noticeable growth of women entrepreneurs in this industry. They are found running bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) and conducting tours in urban areas as well as townships and rural areas. This is further evident if one looks at the value chain in the tourism sector. However, women entrepreneurs that are found in this sector are facing specific challenges that hinder their progress towards achieving sustainable businesses, especially those running or intending to run B&B businesses. Some of these challenges are sector related and some are just inherent to pursuing an entrepreneurial journey. The participation of women in the mainstream of entrepreneurship presents unique challenges as well. Women were never allowed to participate fully in the entrepreneurial activities. The latter still contributes to the challenges faced by women in their journey towards developing and operating sustainable businesses irrespective of the industry in which they operate in. Based on the above discussion, the main problem statement of this study is: To develop a strategic entrepreneurial model to enable female entrepreneurs to operate sustainable B&B businesses in the tourism industry.

This study aimed to investigate factors affecting the participation of women-owned MSEs in the manufacturing sector in two selected sub-cities of Addis Ababa, namely, Kolfe Keranio and Nefas Silk Lafto sub-cities and to explore and gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences and participation of women who own MSEs in the manufacturing sector as well as government entities that support these MSEs. The study adopted a qualitative, exploratory research approach. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted to collect data from women who participated in the manufacturing sector, government officials, MSEs experts in the sub-cities and gender office professionals who worked closely with women’s MSEs in the manufacturing sector. Besides, direct observation was used to get firsthand information concerning the nature of women-owned MSEs and their working environments such as limited working space, lack of warehouses, and physical constraints relating to the use of stairs in storeyed buildings, among others. Document review and secondary data were used to triangulate the results from the interviews and obtain quantifiable data that could be used to clarify certain issues in the study. The data were analyzed using thematic data analysis to identify how the theme related to the research objectives. The researcher used a table to visualize the coded themes to determine which was the major problem, support, and characteristics of women-owned MSEs. The study revealed that women have limited education levels and skills. It is thus difficult for women who own MSEs to exploit advantages or opportunities to expand their business. The findings also reported the inability to access finance for MSEs start-ups and expansion. Women generally lacked information regarding various aspects of MSEs during the establishment of their businesses. Women-owned MSEs have received some support, particularly from government agencies. However, the support they are currently receiving is inadequate to enable them to transform their business. Women-owned MSEs still face problems on many fronts including workspace, limited finance, outdated technology, poor marketing strategies were among others that need addressing. To develop women-owned MSEs and empower other women in the field, the government, the public sector, and formal financial institutes should be informed on the value of gender-balanced contribution in the informal sector enterprises. It is recommended that there should be a greater focus on the social and economic empowerment of women, as they constitute a vulnerable social category that is critical in development endeavors. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)