ENCOURAGING FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS IN UTILIZING THEIR ENTREPRENEURSHIP POTENTIALS FOR POVERTY ALLIVATION IN ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE

The main purpose of the study was to determine the strategies for encouraging female entrepreneurs in utilizing their entrepreneurship potentials for poverty alleviation in rural communities in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State. The study was guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses. A survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 186 registered and practicing female entrepreneurs operating in rural communities in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State. There was no sampling due to the manageable size of the population. The instrument used for data collection was a 17 item structured questionnaire grouped into two sections according to the research questions that guided the study. The items were structured in four point rating scale. The instrument was validated by experts two from Business and Entrepreneurship Education Department and one from Measurement and Evaluation unit of Mathematics and Computer Education Department, all from Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu and the reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha which yielded 0.73. Out of 186 copies distributed, 171 copies were returned giving 91.93% return rate. Mean, standard deviation and t-test statistics were the statistical tools used for data analysis. Based on the data analysis, the study identified the strategies for encouraging female entrepreneurs in utilizing their entrepreneurship potentials for poverty alleviation in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State. One of the major findings of the study is the lack of financial capital as well as high tax rates faced by female entrepreneurs. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made among which include; that the government should provide an enabling environment that would encourage women entrepreneurs in utilizing their entrepreneurship potentials for poverty alleviation and non-governmental bodies should increase efforts in imparting positive strategies like, giving them grant, loan, security and others as identified in the study to encourage female entrepreneurs in utilizing their entrepreneurship potentials for poverty alleviation