Reinvigorating the future of young women micro entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa post COVID-19: a SEM reflective model approach with debt literacy as the mediator

George Okello Candiya Bongomin holds a PhD in Finance, MSc (Accounting and Finance) and Bachelor's degree in Commerce Accounting from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. He is based at Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research and Finance Department, Faculty of Commerce, Makerere University Business School, Kampala Uganda. George is an international financial inclusion scholar and Poverty Consultant with many institutions. Currently, he is a Visiting Professor and Scholar at the Laboratory for Financial Engineering at Laval University, University of Regina and State University of New York, New York, U.S. He is also a member of Centre for Global Finance at SOAS University of London and an Advisory member at The African Institute at Western University, London, Ontario, Canada. He is a Principal Investigator on MUBS and Bank of Uganda Joint Research Collaboration on Digital Financial Services and Financial Inclusion in Uganda. George is also the Regional Associate Editor for Journal of Comparative International Management (JCIM), Canada and Editorial Board Member of the Africa Journal of Management, Canada. His research interests are in financial inclusion, artificial intelligence/machine learning and financial services, digital financial services, microfinance, behavioral finance, entrepreneurship, banking and finance practice, institutional economics, financial consumer protection, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), green finance/climate change financing, Climate-Smart Women MSMEs, and business psychology.

Frederick Semukono, MBA., holds a Master of Business Administration (Accounting and Finance), Bachelor of Commerce degree from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. He is a Senior Lecturer and Acting Director of Quality Assurance at Makerere University Business School (MUBS). He previously served as Head of Department of Management, Dean of Faculty of Management, Dean of Faculty of Vocational and Distance Education and Director of Quality Assurance at MUBS. He has also been the Chairman of MUBS Contracts Committee, Irregularities committee and Visitation Committee. He has taught quantitative methods, business statistics and financial management courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels for over 25 years. His research interests are in the areas of finance, digital financial services, crowd funding, rural finance, banking and finance practice, MSMEs, operations management, management science and quality assurance.

Pierre Yourougou, PhD., is the Deputy Executive Director at Institut National Polytechnique Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Yamoussoukro, Cote D’Ivoire and the Executive Secretary of Africa Business and Entrepreneurship Research Society. He is a professor of finance practice Emeritus at Martin J. Whitman School of management, Syracuse University, New York, USA. His research interests are in development finance, banking, finance practice, rural finance and international cooperation.

Rebecca Balinda, MPAcc, Bsc, is pursuing her PhD in Finance at the University of Rwanda. She is an Assistant Lecturer in the Finance Department and Director of Internal Audit at Kigali Independent University ULK. She recently compiled a paper on e-Learning and presented the findings at the e-Learning conference in May, 2022. Her research interests include financial inclusion and literacy, women financial empowerment, climate change and virtual learning.