Digital Entrepreneurship, E-Commerce, and Women-Led Small Enterprises in Emerging Markets

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 10, October 2026 | pp. 267–280

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001334

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Digital Entrepreneurship, E-Commerce, and Women-Led Small Enterprises in Emerging Markets

Names of Author: Chisom Eze-Nwankwo¹, Alejandro Ruiz², & Nadia Mansour³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Business Administration, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria; ²Department of Economics, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile; ³School of Business, American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract:
Social commerce platforms, mobile payment ecosystems, and digital marketplaces have lowered traditional entry barriers for female entrepreneurs, enabling women to launch retail, fashion, and agro-processing businesses from home. However, beneath celebratory narratives of digital empowerment, women-led micro and small enterprises confront persistent structural disparities, including lower venture capital funding, costly logistics infrastructure, algorithmic visibility fees, and limited digital marketing mentorship. This paper examines the opportunities and constraints shaping women’s digital entrepreneurship in Nigeria, Egypt, and Chile. Utilizing feminist entrepreneurship theory, the research combines survey data from 150 female e-commerce founders with 35 in-depth qualitative interviews. We argue that scaling women-led digital businesses requires gender-lens venture financing, affordable cooperative fulfillment hubs, and digital literacy policies tailored to informal female traders.

Keywords: Digital entrepreneurship, e-commerce, women-led enterprises, feminist entrepreneurship, mobile payments, venture capital, emerging markets, economic empowerment

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 05, 2026; Revised: October 05, 2026; Accepted: October 09, 2026; Published: October 15, 2026.

Citation: Eze-Nwankwo, C., Ruiz, A., & Mansour, N. (2026). Digital Entrepreneurship, E-Commerce, and Women-Led Small Enterprises in Emerging Markets. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(10), 267–280. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001334

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