How can development programs empower women's entrepreneurship through social innovation?

Abstract: Women in developing nations are facing many challenges in order to become entrepreneurs. Inequalities are common both in the working environment and the society. The unemployment among youth, in particular women, is a severe problem in many developing countries, including Uganda in East Africa. Organisations and development programs across the world are trying to address and solve these challenges. For this, the relevance of social innovation has grown in the last years. However, the challenges that women face are complex and cover many areas. Furthermore, difficulties exist when addressing challenges through methodologies around social innovation and research in the field is limited. This study aims to identify which challenges female entrepreneurs face in Uganda and how development programs can address these issues and help empower the women through the use of social innovation. The study builds on a case of a specific development program, A Working Future, conducted by Plan International Uganda. Qualitative interviews were conducted with Ugandan women and different management teams within Plan International Uganda. The empirical findings were based on a theoretical framework consisting of social innovation, including design thinking and entrepreneurship, including external environment analysis.