EMPOWERING WOMEN AND YOUTH IN MICRO- AND SMALL-SCALE ENTERPRISES (MSSEs) FOR WEALTH CREATION

Women and youth are major victims of poverty caused by deprivation. Both group members of population lack access to land, physical capital assets, human capital, and participation in decision processes in the family and community levels. Their engagement in MSSEs as a means of escaping from the trap of poverty can be empowered by access to improved services of GSM and supply of financial capital through membership in cooperative societies. There is evidence from pilot survey that GSM has provided saving of transportation costs and that members of cooperative societies have used such cooperative societies to source their business finance. Nevertheless, these veritable opportunities are hindered by limitation imposed by inadequate information and knowledge of some women and youths engaging in MSSEs. © 2015 AESS Publications. All Rights Reserved.