Enabling Environment for Women's Enterprise Development
The following country assessments were developed using a WED assessment methodology. The original guide, 'Assessing the Enabling Environment for Women in Growth Enterprises' was developed and promoted jointly by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) and a series of assessments were undertaken in Eastern Africa as well as one in Cameroun. The WED assessment methodology was revised by the ILO in 2008 (Simon White) and the ILO will have a new version in September 2012.
Assessment Methodology
National Women's Entrepreneurship Assessments
This WED assessment methodology helps ILO constituents, development partners or other key stakeholders establish a 'situational analysis' of the status of women's entrepreneurship development in a given country. This is based on studying ten strategic areas that lead to the identification of key policy recommendations to improve the 'environment for the development of women's entrepreneurship'. Concretely, these assessments have led to national action plans for WED, national strategies on WED or women's economic empowerment or have been taken up as advocacy messages by Employers' organizations and women entrepreneurs' associations. The methodology includes a process with a desk study, key stakeholder interviews, interviews and focus groups with women entrepreneurs, a validation workshop of the findings and key recommendations and a prioritization workshop with key stakeholders. The objectives of the WED assessment are twofold: identify research-based and consulted policy level recommendations to improve the environment for WED; and improved assessment of the gender impacts of business environment policies, laws, regulations and MSME support programs.
