Influence of technological changes on growth of women- owned micro and small enterprises in Kitui County, Kenya

Abstract

This paper examined the influence of technological changes on growth of women owned micro and small scale enterprises in rural areas of Kitui County. The study used descriptive survey as the research design involving a target population of 390 women owned MSEs drawn from manufacturing, agriculture, commerce and services sectors in Kitui County. Proportionate stratified sampling was used to form a sample of 194 women entrepreneurs. Simple random sampling was applied on the sample to select the respondents from each sector for the study. The research instruments were pre – tested, questionnaire and observation guide covering all the study parameters. Analysis of the data was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study findings revealed that there is no significant relationship between technology and growth of women owned enterprises in Kitui County. From the findings it was observed that majority of women entrepreneurs were not using mobile phones to do business and majority of women in rural areas are not computer literate. The study recommended that policy makers to encourage utilization of appropriate technology by MSEs, continuous training and dissemination of information to women entrepreneurs. Development of an online Women’s Trade Portal. Building on existing resources, this could be an ‘one‐stop‐shop’ Internet site to provide practical guidance to women entrepreneurs. Web‐based networks for women locally, nationally and internationally should be established.