Page 1 of 9
International Journal for Social Studies
Available at https://edupediapublications.org/journals
ISSN: 2455-3220
Volume 04 Issue 01
January 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/IJSS/ P a g e | 21
Empowering Women for Sustainable
Development through Entrepreneurship
Education
Nnamonu Catherine Uchenna
Department of Social Work, University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Email: uchennakt@yahoo.com
Abstract
The central contention of this paper is that
women are the ones who suffer most from the
pervasive effects of poverty in present
Nigerian society. One can point to some of
the ways in which poverty and structural
violence affect the health, and well-being of
women in terms of maternal mortality,
domestic violence, susceptibility to diseases
like HIV/AIDS and STD, sexual violence,
abuse and exploitation etc. This situation has
also given rise to child trafficking and
prostitution as women seek for various
illegitimate means of survival. It is against
this background that this paper focuses on
researching on ways and means of
empowering women for sustainable
development through entrepreneurship
education. This paper argues that
entrepreneurship education will equip women
with skills and ideas to start up small scale
business that would make them self-reliant
and also contribute to sustainable
development in Nigeria.
Introduction
There are many reports in several mass media
about increasing rate of poverty and
unemployment resulting from current
economic recession in Nigeria. Poverty
manifests in form of lack of access to three
square meal per day, poor access to quality
health care, shelter, clean water among others,
which makes an individual vulnerable to ill- health among others. Women, especially the
illiterate and those in rural areas seem to be
seriously affected by the current economic
recession in Nigeria. Observation by the
author has shown that some women engage in
prostitution and child trafficking to survive in
this unpleasant period in Nigeria. Some
women also seem to have difficulties
developing business ideas and starting up a
business due to insufficient knowledge, skills
and the necessary support they need. There is
dire need for women to be empowered
through entrepreneurship education. Mallum
(2014) pointed out that entrepreneurship
education has been recognized globally as the
greatest tool for empowering an individual
and the whole nation to achieve financial
stability and poverty reduction.
Entrepreneurship education help women to
develop self-esteem and self-confidence
necessary to be creative and innovative,
which is a milestone to sustainable
development. It can inculcate in women, the
spirit of self-reliant and wealth creation and as
such bring about financial independence.
Conceptual Clarification
The conceptual clarification focused on the
basic concepts of this paper, which are
women empowerment, sustainable
development and entrepreneurship education.
Page 2 of 9
International Journal for Social Studies
Available at https://edupediapublications.org/journals
ISSN: 2455-3220
Volume 04 Issue 01
January 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/IJSS/ P a g e | 22
Women Empowerment
Several authors have defined woman
empowerment in different perspectives.
According to Rajeshwari (2015), women
empowerment refers to increasing the
spiritual, political, social, educational, gender
or economic strength of communities of
women. Empowering women could refer to
comprise building their capacity or making
the best of lives of women for governance and
socio-economic advancement (Borode, 2011).
In the view of Kaego (2009) empowering
women is a strategy that seeks to transform
the structures of women subordination
through changes in right and all these other
institutions that reinforce and perpetuate total
male dominance. In the conceptualization of
Nwali and Akuma (2009), women
empowerment is the process of equipping or
supporting women with abilities to better
appreciating their self-worth, which helps
them to live their lives to the fullest and thus
contributing to national development. In the
same vein, Igboke and Nwali (2007) defined
women empowerment as the state of being,
which reflect certain level of women’s critical
consciousness about external reality and
awareness of their internal thought,
construction and belief systems that have a
bearing on their well-being in terms of gender
and social equity. According to Ovute, Dibia
and Obasi (2015), women empowerment is
the breaking of the barriers that limit women
from doing certain things men do in the
society. Continuing, Ovute et al stated that it
is setting women free from cultural and
traditional bondages and that which militate
against their productive powers and
development. In the context of this paper,
women empowerment is conscious efforts
directed at changing the orientation of women
by rendering any form of support or training,
which make them take decisive steps to
venture into businesses or trade in a bid to
become self-reliant and contribute to the
development of their families, communities
and society at large. Empowering women
entails uplifting their political, social and
economic strength.
Sustainable Development
Enwere and Ugwu (2013) defined sustainable
development as a pattern of economic growth
in which resources use aims to meet human
needs while preserving the environment so
that these needs can be met not only in the
present but also for generations to come. In
the perception of Ibeh and Nwafor (2009)
sustainable development is development that
is characterized by equity and that is socially
responsive to the problem of poverty and
inequality between classes, communities and
nations. Equally contributing on the subject
matter, Nwanekwe (2009) defined sustainable
development as maintenance of a steady
growth and improvement in the people’s
ability and capacity, discipline responsibility
and material well-being. Sustainable
development is steady and consistent
political, cultural, economic, social and
institutional growth that results to improved
standard of living of individuals for the
current and future generation. Sustainable is
multi-faceted in the sense that capture
positive political, cultural, social and
institutional growth as well as consistent
improvement of well-being of women and
entire society at large. It also captures
attitudinal change and perception on basic
issues in the society.
Entrepreneurship Education
For clearer understanding, it is essential to
define the two key words in entrepreneurship
education. Omebe (2013) defined
entrepreneurship as the ability to create and
build up a new business through personal
effort, creativity and innovativeness. Also,
Ugiagbe (2007) defined entrepreneurship as
Page 3 of 9
International Journal for Social Studies
Available at https://edupediapublications.org/journals
ISSN: 2455-3220
Volume 04 Issue 01
January 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/IJSS/ P a g e | 23
the process of bringing together creative and
innovative ideas and coping with management
and organizational skills in order to combine
people, money and resources to meet an
identified need, thereby creating wealth.
Education, on the other hand, is the training
given to individuals to enable them acquire
the necessary knowledge, attitudes, skills,
values to contribute to the development of
individuals and the society at large. Mbaeri,
Muoemenam, Nwachukwu and Njoku (2016)
defined entrepreneurship education as a
specialized training given to acquire the skills,
ideas and managerial activities and capacity
for self-employment. According to Akpomi
(2009), Entrepreneurship education focuses
on developing understanding and capacity for
pursuit, of entrepreneurial behaviours, skills
and attributes in widely different contexts. In
the context of this paper, Entrepreneurship
education is a practical form of education that
is geared towards building women’s self- confidence, developing their potentials and
inculcating necessary skills, knowledge and
ideas to undertake a business or trade and
effectively manage it.
Link between Women Empowerment
and sustainable Development through
Entrepreneurship Education
The wide spread and acceptance of
entrepreneurship education in several
countries, is a clear indication of its roles in
empowering women for sustainable
development. Empowering women through
entrepreneurship education enable them play
active roles in mainstream of economic
activities. Entrepreneurship education equip
women with skills, knowledge and ideas to
develop and start up small or medium scale
businesses that will in the long run, develop
to large scale business. Similar to this, Ojeifo
(2012) pointed out that entrepreneurship
education is a key driver of the economy and
wealth, with the assertion that majority of
available jobs are created by small businesses
that are started by entrepreneurially spirited
individuals. Many of these businesses most
times advance to, as well as create big
businesses.
There are viable investment opportunities that
have remained untapped due to insufficient or
lack of knowledge and skills.
Entrepreneurship education equips the
recipients (women) with skills and knowledge
that would enable them identify viable
investment opportunities in their societies
(Mbaeri, Muoemenam, Nwachukwu & Njoku,
2016). Identification and undertaking of
viable investment opportunities contributes to
real per capita income of any nation.
Sustainable development is not one-sided; it
captures improvement on the living standard
of individuals in the society irrespective of
one’s gender or age. Empowering women
with basic .ideas to venture and success in the
business of their interest brings about even
development. With more participation in
entrepreneurship activities, more wealth is
created thereby reducing gender inequality in
the society.
Empowerment of women through
entrepreneurship education enables them to
participate fully in family and societal
decision-making, attend increased health and
control of their children’s education (Okafor,
Agboola & Faboye, 2011). This implies that
empowerment through entrepreneurship
education will go a long way to enhance the
provision of quality education for their
children. Empowering women can help in
checking and limiting moral decadence
among them. Hardship or unpleasant
economic condition seems to make women
more sexually vulnerable which at the long
run increase the spread of sexually
transmitted diseases and crimes among others.
