Role of Entrepreneurial Supports in Promoting Women- Owned Businesses: A Case of Women Supported by Pro- Femmes Twese Hamwe in Rubavu District, Rwanda

Munyentwali Domitien & Dushimimana Jean de Dieu
University of Kigali, Rwanda
Email: domitienmunye1982@gmail.com

Abstract: This study examined the role of entrepreneurial supports in promoting women-owned businesses among women supported by Pro-Femmes Twese Hamwe in Rubavu District. Specifically, it assessed the roles of financial literacy, capacity building support, advisory support, and networking support. The study was guided by Resource-Based View Theory, Human Capital Theory, Contingency Theory, and Social Capital Theory. A mixed-methods design combining descriptive and correlational approaches was adopted. The target population comprised 2,251 women entrepreneurs, Pro-Femmes Twese Hamwe staff, trainers, and mentors, from which 340 respondents were selected using Slovin’s formula and simple random sampling. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and documentary review. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression in SPSS version 29. Of the 340 questionnaires distributed, 326 were complete, representing a 95.9% response rate. The results showed positive relationships between financial literacy and business promotion (r = .679), capacity building support and business promotion (r = .833), advisory support and business promotion (r = .748), and networking support and business promotion (r = .806), all significant at p < .001. The overall regression model was significant, R = .897, R² = .805, F(4,321) = 334.929, p < .001. Capacity building support was the strongest predictor (B = .489), followed by advisory support (B = .194), financial literacy (B = .143), and networking support (B = .131). The study concludes that entrepreneurial supports significantly promote women-owned businesses in Rubavu District and recommends sustained, coordinated support.