Women Entrepreneurship and Poverty Alleviation: Understanding the Economic and Socio-cultural Context of the Igbo Women’s Basket Weaving Enterprise in Nigeria

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study explores the socio-cultural and economic context in which Igbo women’s basket weaving enterprise develops and operates in Nigeria and their beliefs about how entrepreneurial action can alleviate poverty. We conducted a qualitative study of 48 Igbo women entrepreneurs who run local basket weaving enterprise in 16 rural communities of 4 out of the 5 Igbo States (southeast region) of Nigeria, to explore the impact of informal entrepreneurial learning, socio-cultural and economic issues, individual values in business start-ups and development in the cities after post-primary education in an attempt to alleviate poverty in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 1). Focusing on three dominant themes (including socio-cultural and economic issues of the Igbo women basket weaving entrepreneurs, etcetera) from the thematic analysis, we analyze the factors that contribute to understanding the socio-cultural context of the Igbo women’s basket weaving enterprise in Nigeria. Findings provide a framework of the Igbo women entrepreneurs’ poverty alleviation and show evidence of a perspective of entrepreneurship for poverty alleviation that is different from the mainstream entrepreneurship literature on poverty alleviation.