Supported women's entrepreneurship, a resilient model tested by COPEMECO, the Kinshasa federation in the DRC

Abstract

This study evaluates supported female entrepreneurship through the COPEMECO model, an organization supporting women entrepreneurs facing economic, legal, and socio-cultural constraints in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A mixed-methods approach was employed to ensure analytical robustness: (1) a quantitative component using a structured questionnaire administered to 67 women entrepreneurs affiliated with FECO, analysed via descriptive statistics (frequencies, means, quartiles) using SPSS 21.0; (2) a qualitative component based on six semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, processed through inductive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) until theoretical saturation.

Findings highlight resilience levers rooted in endogenous knowledge: resource mutualisation, peer learning, and social legitimisation. Key indicators demonstrate the tangible impact of the device: a 92.5% administrative formalization rate, an average of 4.24 employees per enterprise, and 1.88 sales points, despite near-zero access to bank credit (1.5%). Furthermore, 74.6% of entrepreneurs actively participate in experience-sharing meetings, validating the effectiveness of horizontal learning as a substitute for formal training.

Results demonstrate that women-led SMEs supported by COPEMECO meaningfully contribute to economic growth, innovation, job creation, and poverty reduction in the DRC. This model transforms structural constraints into levers for collective growth. These findings suggest that public policies should support existing intermediate structures capable of filling state institutional voids, rather than multiplying costly agencies.

JEL Classification: L26, M13, O17, J16, L31

Paper type: Empirical research.