The first female Professor of Entrepreneurship Management from Nothern Nigeria, Professor Helen Andow has advocated for special support for women to become entrepreneurs.
Andow made the advocacy in her presentation tittled ‘Harnessed Entrepreneurial Latent Engenders Neoliberalism’, at the Kaduna State University’s, KASU 9th professorial inaugural lecture in Kaduna.
Andow who is currently the Director, Entrepreneurship Research and Development Centre KASU said women are less likely than men to be lentrepreneurs and less likely to attempt to start business, and are however successful in it as men.
The Don lamented that women, being great untapped entrepreneurial resources especially in transition economies, have significantly lower rates of entrepreneurship than men.
According to her, lower participation in the labour market by women could prevent them from acquiring the connections and skills necessary for successful entrepreneurship.
“Other social settings and engagements may need to compensate temporarily for women’s isolation from professional networks and resources in the labour market”, she stressed.
She therefore encouraged women to participate in social networks such as membership in community organisations like sports, arts, charity organisations among others.
Andow called on financial bodies and organisations to enhance access to finance to female entrepreneurs, noting that women have fewer personal financial resources, on average and less access to financing through social networks.
She recommended neoliberalism for developing countries like Nigeria to enhance latent to active entrepreneurship.
She said, “Entrepreneurship has played an important role in facilitating economic development and needed structural change in several developing economies.”
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of KASU, Professor Muhammad Tanko said inaugural lectures being academic matters was designed to allow professors to showcase their research findings from its inception to current date.
Tanko, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Professor Yohanna Tella, said KASU had always encouraged its staff in research, noting that it was beneficial to academics and ways towards addressing problems and gaps in societies and nation at large.
Confidence Okwuchi
