Women’s Self-Help Groups as Pathways to Entrepreneurship in Rwanda

A new article in Cogent Business & Management explores how women in Rwanda build entrepreneurial capacity through self-help groups (SHGs).

The study, authored by Josephine Mutesi (University of Rwanda), Duncan Levinsohn (MMTC/JIBS), and Eugénie Byukusenge (University of Rwanda), sheds light on the ways in which collective networks support resource-constrained entrepreneurs.

Drawing on interviews with twenty women micro-entrepreneurs in Bugesera district, the research shows how SHGs provide access to financial, human, and social capital. Women often join multiple groups over time, strategically layering their memberships to increase access to loans, training, networks, and opportunities. This progression not only helps them to grow their microenterprises but also improves household wellbeing and builds resilience.

Using a social embeddedness perspective, the authors demonstrate that entrepreneurship in emerging economies is inseparable from community structures, cultural norms, and collective action. SHGs become crucial platforms for empowerment, poverty reduction, and inclusive enterprise development.

This study contributes directly to MMTC’s research focus on sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and societal transformation. It illustrates how entrepreneurship can act as a lever for systemic change, showing that even in resource-constrained contexts, collective action and embedded networks can create opportunities for women to thrive, support their families, and strengthen their communities.

Read the full article: Women micro-entrepreneurs, resources and the role of self-help groups – a social embeddedness perspective External link, opens in new window.