Microfinance institutions and female entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa: avoidable female unemployment thresholds

Purpose This study aims to contribute the extant literature by assessing how microfinance institutions (MFIs) affect female entrepreneurship, contingent on unemployment levels. Design/methodology/approach The focuses 44 countries in sub-Saharan Africa for period 2004–2018. empirical evidence is based interactive quantile regressions, which put emphasis nations with high, low and intermediate levels of business constraints. analysis tailored provide avoidable implementation policies designed MFIs promote ownership. Findings hypotheses that are favorable owners some critical rates should be avoided order incidence maintained exclusively valid 10th quantiles cost females time start-up a females. Policy implications discussed. Originality/value has complemented providing actionable masses governments can act upon tailoring relevance doing