Franchising for Women’s Empowerment

Unemployment in Côte d’Ivoire has strongly increased over the past 14 years due to political and economic instability in the country, and women have faced particular challenges in finding employment.

TechnoServe, in partnership with the Citi Foundation and Prosuma, the country’s largest retail distribution network, are working to foster low income female entrepreneurs. In 2013, Prosuma began their “MiniPrix” project, leveraging its established networks, systems and resources, to create a series of micro-franchised storefronts – MiniPrix – that offer women the opportunity to become self-employed. In January of 2015, TechnoServe partnered with Citi Foundation and Prosuma to provide business development services for these storefronts, providing training in marketing, stock management and financial recordkeeping for 60 women over the course of two years. As of March 2016, 40 women have received training and projected store profit margins are over $70,000.