Challenges and Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs in Benin’s Sanitation Sector: A Comprehensive Analysis

MuniWASH is using the findings from this study to inform its approach to empowering women entrepreneurs in WASH. The Activity interviewed 20 women entrepreneurs about their personal and professional journeys in the WASH sector. The interviewees revealed that sociocultural, financial, and institutional and regulatory obstacles impede their active participation in WASH. Socio-cultural barriers, such as gender norms and stereotypes, restrict women's access to resources, networks, and opportunities. Financial challenges, such as limited access to credit and capital, further hamper potential entrepreneurial endeavors and expansion. Finally, institutional and regulatory frameworks pose hurdles that create additional barriers to women's entrepreneurship. Despite these challenges, the interviewees also highlighted the positive impact of recent legislative and regulatory measures in Benin such as the adoption of the national gender policy and the enactment of laws pertaining to equity in the workplace. Leveraging these legal advancements, the MuniWASH has successfully enhanced women's capacities and facilitated their access to credit, aligning seamlessly with the existing legal frameworks. Addressing the obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs in the WASH sector requires comprehensive strategies that target socio-cultural norms, improve financial inclusion, and address institutional and regulatory barriers. By implementing supporting activities, such as capacity building initiatives and mechanisms, to improve access to credit, there is potential to create a robust enabling environment for women entrepreneurs in WASH. In using such measures, MuniWASH has successfully enhanced women's capacities and facilitated their access to credit, in alignment with existing legal frameworks. MuniWASH uses these structural changes to empower more women entrepreneurs to participate in the WASH sector and to realize better outcomes when they do.