ABOVE THE ODDS: A Decade of Change for Ugandan Women Entrepreneurs

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"Too few books give an in-depth view of the challenges that African women face in running the enterprises which often provide the main source of support for their families. Ten years ago Women in African Economies: From Burning Sun to Boardroom, based on the lives of 74 women entrepreneurs in Uganda, helped to fill this gap. In her new book, Dr. Margaret Snyder revisits many of these women and, with her co-author Sarah Kitakule, gives a unique account of how they have coped over the past decade – with trade liberalization and economic and environmental change; with drought and disease; and with tragedies and triumphs in their households and enterprises. Covering women who belong to both the informal and formal sector, farmers and traders as well as owners of small businesses, and live both in rural and urban areas, the book gives a real feel for how, through thick and through thin, women have been and remain the economic backbone of their communities and country.”

– Marilyn Carr, Independent Development Consultant

 

“Ugandan businesswomen are leaders in furthering their country's economic development. It is therefore heartening to see volumes such as this one continue to give voice to them and highlight their continued barriers as well as their accomplishments. Peg Snyder and Sarah KitakuÏle capture the Ugandan women's spirit and provide inspiration to many others around the world.”

– Amanda Ellis, Lead Specialist, Gender and Development, World Bank Group

 

“A new area of research on women in Africa opened a decade ago with the publication of Margaret Snyder’s Women in African Economies: from Burning Sun to Boardroom. Her new book, Above the Odds: A Decade of Change for Ugandan Women Entrepreneurs, co-authored with Sarah Kitakule, goes a long way to consolidate this hitherto under-researched ground.The value of this book derives from its focus on the new class of female entrepreneurs who have demystified the business arena and demonstrated that African women operate beyond hawking in shanty marketplaces and by the roadside! They are recognized now as the backbone of their national economies. No doubt, the role models herein are a stimulus to potential entrepreneurs and make a case for policy formulation in support of women’s entry into middle and large size enterprises.”

– Joy Kwesiga, Vice Chancellor, Kabale University, Uganda

 
ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Sarah Kitakule is Chief Technical Advisor for the UN’s Women Entrepreneurship and Gender Equality Project covering five countries in Africa. Previously she was with the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank working to improve the investment climate in Africa. She has chaired the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association and the Women in Entrepreneurship Expert Group for the Council for Economic Empowerment of Women for Africa. She runs her own business in Uganda.

 

Margaret (Peg) Snyder, PhD, is Founding Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and was regional advisor at the UN Economic Commission for Africa where she co-founded the African Centre for Women. She was a co-founder of Women’s World Banking. Her several books include Women in African Economies: from Burning Sun to Boardroom –this book is its sequel. She was a Visiting Fellowat the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University (where her archive is), a Fulbright Scholar at Makerere University, and is a Seminar Associate at Columbia University and board member of the Sirleaf Market Women’s Fund and the Green Belt Movement International.

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