Challenges and Opportunities of Networking Women Owned Business Engaging in Agro Processing Business Cluster in Bahir Dar City

Small business enterprises contribution in employment and income generation is increasingly recognizedand has become a major concern for policy makers with dual objective of enhancing growth andalleviating poverty. In the global economy small and medium enterprises are now playing a pivotal role inregional economic sustainability and growth, yet there is relatively little research that examines SMEclustering processes, and in particular the nature of knowledge creation in local/regional SME networks.This paper discusses challenges and opportunities of small business clustering and network amongWomen Owned Business Engaging in Agro Processing Business. The survey was conducted on ۴۰selected woman owned agro processing enterprises. The data were collected through a structuredquestionnaire and analyzed using descriptive methods. The results of the research show that Workingplace, Absence of market linkage, Raw material scarcity/seasonality, Electric Supply, Capital, Marketinformation problem are the major constrains hindering the expansion of woman owned agro processingenterprises.

Keywords:

challenges , business clustering , business opportunities , women entrepreneur