Business & Management

There are few Women-owned enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa- Research

Published

3 years ago

May 17, 2023

Right to Left: Dr. Felix Wamono-Lecturer School of Statistics, Dr. Joseph Wasswa Matovu-Senior Lecturer School of School of Economics, Prof. Ibrahim Mike Okumu-Dean, School of Economics, Prof. Morgan Hardy and Prof. Gisella Kagy pose for pose for a photo on 4th May 2023, CoBAMS, Conference Room, Level 2, School of Business, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda. — Right to Left: Dr. Felix Wamono-Lecturer School of Statistics, Dr. Joseph Wasswa Matovu-Senior Lecturer School of School of Economics, Prof. Ibrahim Mike Okumu-Dean, School of Economics, Prof. Morgan Hardy and Prof. Gisella Kagy pose for pose for a photo on 4th May 2023.

Research has established that there are huge variations in women-owned enterprise representation in the Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to Prof Morgan Hardy and Gisella Kagy, Business researchers of women-owned enterprise representation estimate that there are gender gaps in enterprise performance.

Their research was conducted from 43 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa using empirical data from available data sources that indicate that these differences are driven by variations in gender-blind sampling protocols.

They further revealed that women-owned enterprises are less likely to meet the sampling criteria for most widely available enterprise data and those that do are more positively selected on performance, relative to male-owned enterprises.

Their findings were derived from the surveys conducted using the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) and HouseHold surveys (HHS). While conducting the WBES, they used three surveys namely; the Enterprise, Micro Enterprise and the Informal surveys.

“To establish the rates of female ownership and estimates of the gender sales gap, the Enterprise Analysis Unit of the World Bank Group conducts three different types of surveys on enterprises around the world,” Prof Hardy, Assistant Professor of Economics, New York University Abu Dhabi said.

While conducting their research, they considered enterprises with a physical location, registered establishments, and informal private sector enterprises in the urban centers.

The research conducted using the HHS, areas from census-based sampling units (such as enumeration districts) were chosen, and then dwellings from a list of all households within that sampling unit were chosen.

“These surveys are usually representative of the country as a whole, with large enough samples to allow consideration of certain subgroups, such as rural versus urban, or a few major agro-climatic zones” Gisella Kagy, another researcher and an Assistant Professor of Economics Vassar College noted.

In addition, the WBES mainly considered businesses located in urban areas or businesses in the formal private sector employing five or more employees.

They further revealed that the observed differences in the results could be attributed to: differences in the target populations-for instance most female-owned businesses may be household based.

Some of the information that informed their research was obtained from:

Ethiopia Large and Medium Manufacturing Industry Survey (LMMIS); Nationally representative census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia which was conducted in 2006 and 2015. It covered public and private manufacturing firms with more than 10 employees.

Integrated Business Establishment Survey (IBES): Nationally representative census conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service in 2014. And it covered establishments with a physical structure and household enterprises with a visible business signage.

Related Topics:Africa business CoBAMS entrepreneurship Gender HHS informal Research sub-Saharan survey WBES Women World Bank

Up Next

Graduate Admission Test for Master Business Administration(MBA) 2023/2024

Don't Miss

VC calls on Government to utilize Makerere’s experts

Business & Management

Cementing the Mak-UNISA partnership: Prof. Sarah Ssali meets Dr. Sizile Makola

Published

3 days ago

April 15, 2026

Ritah Namisango

L-R: Associate Prof. Godfrey Akileng, Dean,School of Business, Visiting Scholar-Dr. Sizile Makola, DVCAA-Prof. Sarah Ssali, Ms. Agnes Sansa-PhD Student during the meeting on 13th April 2026.

On 13^th April 2026, Prof. Sarah Ssali, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) of Makerere University, hosted Dr. Sizile Makola, a Visiting Scholar and Senior Lecturer from the University of South Africa (UNISA).

Makerere University and the University of South Africa committed to partnership and collaboration through a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Consequently, Dr. Makola, a researcher and an expert in human resource and business management is scheduled to spend two weeks at Makerere University, interacting with the leadership at different levels, researchers, students, as well as staff in the Department of Marketing and Management, School of Business under the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS).

Additionally, the visit accords Dr. Makola the golden opportunity to finalise her comparative studies with members of staff from the Department of Marketing and Management on behalf of Makerere University for the Ugandan context.

The meeting between the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) and Dr. Sizile Makola was attended by Associate Professor Godfrey Akileng-the Dean, School of Business, and Ms. Agnes Sansa from the Department of Marketing and Management.

Welcoming the Visiting Scholar, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) urged Dr. Makola to solidify the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both universities through academic exchanges and deepening scholarship on African-centred leadership.

Prof. Ssali shared a brief trajectory that has shaped Uganda’s workspace. She mentioned the critical role of three pillars that have fundamentally influenced the human resource development landscape in Uganda namely: Cultural practices, Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP), and Spirituality/Religion. She also acknowledged the distinct historical differences between Uganda and South Africa.

Dr. Makola’s discussion with the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) also featured the ongoing comparative study that Dr. Sizile Makola and Ms. Agnes Sansa are conducting in relation to how organizational and human resource management conditions shape the recognition and conversion of women leadership resilience in Uganda and South Africa.

The study is titled: Ubuntu/Obuntu Bulamu, Emotional Capital and Women’s Leadership Resilience: A Comparative Study Across Public and Private Sectors in South Africa and Uganda.

Impressed by the ongoing study, Prof. Ssali implored the visiting faculty-Dr. Sizile Makola to share with her the findings in due course.

Prof. Ssali expressed the readiness of the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) to work with the different units within Makerere University, and the University of South Africa, to support programmes aimed at strengthening collaboration, partnership, research, and internationalization.

On 10^th April 2026, Dr. Makola delivered a captivating guest lecture titled,Re-Imagining Human Resource Management in Africa, targeting undergraduate and postgraduate students pursuing human resource management courses at Makerere University.

Emphasizing the need to integrate indigenous knowledge and organizational practice, Dr. Makola argued that researchers should theorize from African contexts, treat indigenous knowledge as a source of theory, use methodologies capturing moral, communal, and context-bound dimensions of work, and build concepts from African languages, values, and institutional histories.

She stressed the need for African-centered human resource management thinking, rather than just adding local case studies to Western frameworks. Dr. Makola’s argument was informed by limitations of Western human resource management frameworks, which assume autonomous individuals, formal institutions, and technical organizations, which are separate from family and community.

Related articles:

Mak CoBAMS Hosts UNISA’s Dr. Sizile Makola

Mak CoBAMS Hosts UNISA’s Dr. Sizile Makola

African Scholarship Must Theorize from Indigenous Knowledge to Build Contextually Grounded Leadership Systems,” Dr. Sizile Makola

“African Scholarship Must Theorize from Indigenous Knowledge to Build Contextually Grounded Leadership Systems,” Dr. Sizile Makola

Business & Management

Call For Applications: Student Mobility – University of Padova, Italy (Oct 2026-Jan 2027)

Published

4 days ago

April 14, 2026

Mak Editor

Group Photo of the trainers and trainees that took part in the workshop on multivariate statistics and time series analysis, held 11th-20th June 2024 between the School of Statistics and Planning, CoBAMS and University of Padova, Italy. Makerere University School of Statistics and Planning-University of Padova, Italy dynamic workshop on multivariate statistics and time series analysis, 11th to 20th June 2024, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

Arising from an existing Memorandum of Understanding (until September 2028) between University of Padova, Italy (UniPd) and Makerere University (Mak), the two institutions partnered and will jointly implement the Bilateral Agreement for the mobility for students between 2026 and 2027. At Mak, the Departmental Flow Coordinator is Symon Peter Wandiembe (PhD) and the project Principal Investigator and Contact Person is Saint Kizito Omala (PhD), both of Department of Statistical Methods and Actuarial Science (DSMAS).

In this regard, the Department of Statistical Methods and Actuarial Science wishes to announce opportunities for student mobility to the Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy for the Winter Semester, October 2026 – January 2027.

The selection process shall entail five-steps:

Step 1: Submission of documents by candidates for nomination, with an internal deadline of April 20^th, 2026, 05.00 p.m. (EAT) to allow for time to process nomination applications;
Step 2: Meeting of the Nomination Committee to review documents received from applicants;
Step 3: Submitting the list of nominated candidates, by April 30^th, 2026, to the International Projects and Mobility Office of the University of Padua, Italy;
Step 4: Eligibility check and communication to successful candidates by the International Projects and Mobility Office of the University of Padua, Italy; and
Step 5: Application for the Mobility opportunity by successful candidates.

Please see download for detailed call.

Inquiry

S.K. Omala via +256 772 491545 before April 20^th, 2026.

Advert Bilateral UniPd_Mak_Agreement_for Student Mobility Download

Business & Management

Mak CoBAMS Hosts UNISA’s Dr. Sizile Makola

Published

1 week ago

April 8, 2026

Ritah Namisango

L-R: Dr. Zaina Nakabuye, Dr. Jude Mugarura, Dr. Agnes Sansa, Dr. Sizile Makola, Prof Edward Bbaale and Dr. Anthony Tibaingana at the 8th April 2026 meeting in the Office of the Principal. Principal of the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), Prof. Edward Bbaale welcomes Dr. Sizile Makola, a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management from the University of South Africa (UNISA), to the College and Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa, 8th April 2026.

On Wednesday 8^th April 2026 the Principal of the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), Prof. Edward Bbaale received and welcomed, Dr. Sizile Makola, a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management from the University of South Africa (UNISA), to the College and Makerere University.

The interaction meeting held in the Office of the Principal brought onboard the following members of staff from the Department of Marketing and Management, School of Business: Dr. Jude Mugarura, Dr. Zaina Nakabuye, Dr. Agnes Sansa, and Dr. Anthony Tibaingana.

Dr.Sizile Makola is visiting Makerere University for two (2) weeks to cement the MoU between Makerere University and UNISA and to finalise her comparative studies with staff from the department of marketing and management on behalf of Makerere University for the Ugandan context.

Dr. Makola is scheduled to deliver an interactive guest lecture to undergraduate and postgraduate human resource management students on Friday 10^th April 2026 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm in the School of Business, Conference Hall.