Chapter 6: Women Entrepreneurs and Development in Nigeria

To work for yourself, to be your own boss, and to run your own business has become the choice of many Nigerians since the failure of the Structural Adjustment Program in 1986. The current trend in the public sector of “downsizing” and “right-sizing” of formal wage-paying jobs has forced both men and women to opt for self-employment.

“Entrepreneur” is a term used broadly in connection with innovative and creative modern industrial business leaders. It is used to refer to a man or woman who sees business opportunities and takes advantage of the scarce resources to use them profitably. It is she or he alone who bears the noninsurable risks in the enterprise, and it is she or he who provides the human and material resources in the business objective.