WOMEN entrepreneurship in Zambia is an emerging concept and very crucial for the country’s economic growth.

The gender gap between men and women in business has now narrowed.

Earlier the mindset of people was that business is meant only for men, but this thinking has changed.

This is so because women entrepreneurship has hit a media tipping point. Women-owned entities in the formal sector represent a significant number of enterprises- a market worthy of attention by businesses and policy makers alike.

These entrepreneurs have cross the spectrum of micro to high growth-from supporting life to creating wealth.

They include hair salon owners, high tech visionaries and everything in between, all making critical economic contributions.

Women entrepreneurs tend to be more successful because of their trusted status in the community.

Current research suggests that women-owned firms outperform those owned by male counterparts.

However, what has not been recognised is that many uneducated women are also enthusiastically raising family incomes through micro ventures and reinvesting their earnings in their families and communities.

These women also inspire other women in their localities to pursue their dreams through entrepreneurship at the grassroots level.

For instance, Mailes Muke, a Zambezi based woman entrepreneur running an organisation called ‘Save Environment and People Agency’ (SEPA) has been very instrumental in empowering women in her community through various initiatives.

Most recently, Ms Muke through her organisation SEPA acquired US$50 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for implantation of the protection of International water-Zambezi river project.

The project is aimed at protecting the Zambezi River International Waters from human negative activities through building capacities to local communities along the river banks.

A total of 1,000 people benefited from this project which involved the plantation of five million fruit trees along the Zambezi River.

Even though grassroots female entrepreneurs are not undertaking their businesses at a commercial level, they are breaking barriers and inspiring other women to become self-reliant.

Unlike many working women who are finding it difficult to manage their professional and personal life, many females set an example.

The uneducated women entrepreneurs, especially in rural areas, still do not have access to technical and financial support that can give a fillip to their businesses from a domestic to a commercial level.

This is the reason why WECREATE Zambia Centre, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), National Savings and Credit Bank (Natsave), and other organisations are now providing necessary support to help bring out entrepreneurial capabilities of women.

For example, WECREATE Zambia Centre has reached over 8000 women entrepreneurs in the country through offering them business growth tools and programmes.

Centre chief executive officer Nambula Kachuni says the centre has since inception reached 8, 900 women entrepreneurs in the country.

Ms Kachuni says having been the first women entrepreneurial center to launch in Africa, WECREATE had been offering physical, community like space that provided access to various entrepreneurship tools and resources to women.