World Bank InstituteInternational Finance Corporation2014-12-182014-12-182014-04-01https://hdl.handle.net/10986/20816Women in post-conflict economies face a number of challenges. Often their businesses stay at embryonic stages only, due to three key limitations relating to: knowledge of business vision and management; access to finance and markets; and access to role models and networks. Added to the complexity is the risk of having to start all over again due to their countriesapos; political instability and the limited infrastructure to make their businesses proper and become more efficient over time. This report presents findings on the situation of women entrepreneurs in Liberia. It discusses the challenges that female entrepreneurs face as well as enabling factors that they encounter when operating their businesses in Liberiaapos;s post-conflict environment. Through the voices and experiences of women - as in the IFC series quot;Voices of Women Entrepreneursquot; that inspires it - this report sheds some light on the specificities of women doing business in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS), such as those in Liberia. It identifies operational lessons and proposes recommendations on how to support women entrepreneurs and contribute to their economic empowerment in the transition from post-conflict to reconstruction and development. The women interviewed for this report highlighted how obstacles, such as limited financial infrastructure, restricted access to markets, and most importantly, insufficient networks to support women entrepreneurs, stifle efforts to create sustainable solutions for women entrepreneurs. The report offers operational lessons and recommendations on how to address these challenges and support womenapos;s economic participation and empowerment.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOACCESS FOR WOMENACCESS TO CREDITACCESS TO FINANCEACCESS TO MARKETSADOLESCENT GIRLSADULT WOMENASSET OWNERSHIPASSISTANCE TO WOMENBANK CREDITBANK OFFICEBANKSBARRIERS TO ENTRYBORROWINGBRAIN DRAINBRIBESBUSINESS ACTIVITIESBUSINESS ADVICEBUSINESS ASSOCIATIONBUSINESS ASSOCIATIONSBUSINESS DEVELOPMENTBUSINESS INFORMATIONBUSINESS MANAGEMENTBUSINESS NETWORKBUSINESS NETWORKSBUSINESS ORGANIZATIONSBUSINESS OWNERBUSINESS PEOPLEBUSINESS PLANBUSINESS PLANSBUSINESS RISKSBUSINESS STRATEGYBUSINESS SUCCESSBUSINESS TRAININGBUSINESS TRANSACTIONSBUSINESS WOMANBUSINESS WOMENBUSINESS · EDUCATIONBUSINESSWOMANBUSINESSWOMENCAPACITY OF WOMENCAPITAL FORMATIONCHAMBER OF COMMERCECHAMBERS OF COMMERCECIVIL WARCOMMERCIAL BANKCOMMERCIAL BANKSCORRUPTIONCREDIT BUREAUCREDIT BUREAUSCREDIT LINESCREDIT MARKETSCUSTOMCUSTOMARY LAWDEBTDEPOSITORSDEVELOPING COUNTRIESDEVELOPMENT FINANCEDISABLEDDISCRIMINATORY PRACTICESEARNINGSECONOMIC ACTIVITIESECONOMIC ACTIVITYECONOMIC AGENTSECONOMIC CRISISECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC EMPOWERMENTECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WOMENECONOMIC GROWTHECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIESECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMENEDUCATION LEVELEDUCATION SYSTEMEMPOWERMENT OF WOMENENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENTENTREPRENEURENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIESENVIRONMENT FOR WOMENEQUAL OPPORTUNITIESEQUITY FUNDSEXTENDED FAMILIESFAMILIESFAMILY RESPONSIBILITIESFAMILY SUPPORTFARMERFARMERSFEMALE BORROWERSFEMALE BUSINESSFEMALE ENTREPRENEURFEMALE ENTREPRENEURSFEMALE LABORFEMALE LABOR FORCEFINANCE COMPANYFINANCESFINANCIAL APPLICATIONSFINANCIAL EDUCATIONFINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTUREFINANCIAL INSTITUTIONSFINANCIAL LITERACYFINANCIAL PRODUCTSFINANCIAL SKILLSFINANCIAL SUPPORTFOOD SECURITYFORMAL BANKSFORMAL EDUCATIONGENDERGENDER EQUALITYGENDER GAPSGENDER INEQUALITIESGENDER ISSUESGENDER NEEDSGENDER ROLESGENDER SEGREGATIONGIRLSGROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTGROWTH OF WOMENHANDICRAFTSHOUSEHOLD CHORESHOUSEHOLDSHUSBANDIMMIGRATIONINCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIESINDIVIDUAL ENTREPRENEURSINDIVIDUAL WOMENINFORMAL ECONOMYINFORMAL NETWORKSINFORMAL SECTORINFORMATION SERVICESINFORMATION SHARINGINSECURE PROPERTYINSTITUTIONAL CAPACITIESINSTITUTIONAL CAPACITYINSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMSINTEREST RATESINTERNATIONAL FINANCEINVESTMENT CAPITALINVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIESLABOR FORCE SURVEYLABOR MARKETLABOUR FORCELABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATIONLACK OF ACCESSLACK OF CAPITALLACK OF COLLATERALLACK OF CREDITLACK OF FINANCELAND OWNERSHIPLAND RIGHTSLIMITED ACCESSLITERATE FEMALESLOANS TO BUSINESSESLOANS TO WOMENMARKET INFORMATIONMERCHANTMICROCREDITMICROFINANCEMINISTRY OF GENDERMORTGAGENEEDS OF WOMENNEEDS OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSNEW BUSINESSESNUTRITIONOLDER WOMENOPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMENPEACEPERSONAL SAVINGSPOLICY DIALOGUEPOLICY ENVIRONMENTPOLICY MAKERSPOLITICAL INSTABILITYPOPULATION CENSUSPOSTCONFLICT SETTINGSPREGNANCYPRODUCTIVITYPROGRESSPROPERTY RIGHTSPROPORTION OF WOMENQUALITATIVE INFORMATIONRATES OF ILLITERACYREGULATORY FRAMEWORKSREPAYMENTREPAYMENT HISTORYREPAYMENT RATESROLE MODELSROLE OF WOMENRULE OF LAWRURAL WOMENSECURITIESSELF-EMPLOYMENTSEXUAL ASSAULTSEXUAL HARASSMENTSEXUAL VIOLENCESHOP OWNERSITUATION OF WOMENSMALL BUSINESSSMALL BUSINESSESSMALL LOANSOCIAL NETWORKSSOURCES OF CREDITSOURCES OF FINANCESTART-UPSTART-UP CAPITALTECHNICAL SKILLSUNITED NATIONSVIOLENCEVIOLENCE AGAINST WOMENVULNERABILITYWARWOMEN BUSINESS OWNERSWOMEN ENTREPRENEURSWOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIPWOMEN FARMERSWOMEN IN BUSINESSWOMEN-BUSINESS OWNERSWORKFORCEYOUNG WOMEN10.1596/20816