During the 1980s, the majority of sub-Saharan African nations were engulfed in an economic crisis. Growth in poverty and unemployment escalated with the greatest increases occurring among women heading households. A small, strong informal sector might assist in alleviating these problems. This Minority Research Initiation Planning Grant examines entrepreneurship in small and informal sector firms in two cities in Zimbabwe seeking to identify the personal attributes of those who begin such firms, their educational and employment histories, the successes and problems they have encountered in operating their businesses, and the existence of governmental or nongovernmental agencies to support their endeavors to enhance our understanding of the composition, contributions and articulation of the informal sector to formal activities and to the larger national and global economies. In- depth interviews with entrepreneurs who began small and informal businesses in these cities and with civil serves and others involved in governmental and nongovernmental agencies providing support for these firms will be conducted and analyzed. This preliminary research will provide valuable information about the role the informal sector might play in generating employment, particularly for women, in Sub-Saharan Africa. This project also provides an excellent opportunity for a promising young scholar to lay the foundation for more extensive research on gender and entrepreneurship.
