A Dissertation Submitted to Mzumbe University, Dar Es Salaam Campus College in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for Award of Master Degree in Business Administration and Corporate Management.
2013
The need to study the impact of empowering women by micro finance to the household income is of crucial importance as women are targeted in economic production activities. This study specifically dealt on identifying types of business undertaken by women that are financed by Microfinance institutions; assessing microfinance performance on income poverty alleviation; and determining the extent microfinance empowering have necessitated. The study provides disaggregated data and basic information on the impact of micro finance programs and their implications for the government at various levels, Microfinance institutions, development agents, women’s associations and other stakeholders.
The outputs of the study are expected to be used as inputs to policy makers, microfinance institutions, development agents and women’s Associations in designing financial products to women. In this study, a cross-sectional study design was used whereby information was collected once from one point at a specific time. This provided an opportunity for the researcher to have full analysis of different situations and their interrelationships. The analysed data were presented using statistical graphs, pie charts, tables and frequencies (percentages) so as to make the information self-elaborative and easily understood.
The research noted a number of businesses which were undertaken by women which included manufacturing of soap and other detergents, selling cooked food, selling vegetables, shop operations, street vending, carpentry and auction mart. With respect to microfinance performance on income poverty alleviation, it was observed microfinance to have a great contribution in poverty alleviation, while through loans women were able to have their own enterprises. The conclusions made included that microfinance was of great importance in poverty alleviation through women enterprises. It was recommended that, women should work hand in hand with the government in order to assist poverty alleviation through strengthened financial institutions which provide microloans as well as entrepreneurial education to women.