The We-Fi Knowledge Portal provides a curated set of women’s entrepreneurship resources for policymakers and development practitioners
New We-Fi Knowledge Portal: What is it?
The We-Fi Knowledge Portal is a searchable database that brings together evidence-based research on a wide spectrum of topics related to women’s entrepreneurship with a focus on Women-Owned and Led Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries. The knowledge portal aims to support practitioners and policymakers in designing programming or policies, by providing easy access to relevant research and publications. It also provides the option for partners to submit latest research.
The resources are curated from diverse sources including the academia, multilateral development banks (including We-Fi programs), think tanks, development partners, and financial institutions. The knowledge portal integrates experimental evidence (e.g., randomized controlled trials) and non-experimental evidence (e.g., correlational research) as well as in some cases anecdotal evidence with a clear methodological design such as case studies or diagnostic studies.
The portal builds on the sources included in the We-Fi Evidence Paper (2022) which covers both constraints women entrepreneurs are facing and the effectiveness of intervention mechanisms in We-Fi’s four focus areas: access to finance, access to skills and networks, access to markets, and an enabling environment. To date, the list of curated publications includes over 300 entries and is being updated monthly.
How does it work?
With a user-friendly interface and a robust search function, the evidence base provides easy access to information on women’s entrepreneurship. Users may refine their search or filter results by focus area (i.e., access to finance, access to skills, access to markets, enabling environment), topic (e.g., venture capital, credit, insurance, business training, value chains, social norms etc.) or region / country classification.
For example, if you are looking for resources on access to finance, more specifically credit constraints in Sub-Saharan Africa, you can either use the filters by selecting “Access to Finance” in Focus Area, “Credit / loans” in Topic, and “Sub-Saharan Africa” in Region. Or if you are searching for specific resources on “collateral” you may simply type the search term in the search box.
You can access the studies directly through the link in the title or open publication details to view more information about a study including publication type, abstract, enterprise segment and applied research method.
The database also provides the option for researchers and experts to submit new studies focused on women’s entrepreneurship in developing countries. Submitted publications will will be reviewed and added to the evidence base if they match our criteria.
Check it out yourself by clicking here. We are always open to feedback, so don’t hesitate to send us an email.
