Women Marketeers’ Awareness of and Access to Microfinance in Rural Zambia: Evidence from Kamwanya Market, Mpika District

Karen Nambela, Mukwalikuli Mundia, Simasiku Mwiya Mufalali and Regina Muduli
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Karen Nambela: Kwame Nkrumah University
Mukwalikuli Mundia: Kwame Nkrumah University
Simasiku Mwiya Mufalali: Kwame Nkrumah University
Regina Muduli: Kwame Nkrumah University

African Journal of Commercial Studies, 2026, vol. 7, issue 5

Abstract: This study assessed women marketeers’ awareness of and access to microfinance services in rural Zambia, using Kamwanya Market in Mpika District as a case study. Specifically, it determined the level of awareness, examined factors influencing accessibility, and tested the association between awareness and accessibility. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design involved 100 participants: 90 women marketeers completed a structured questionnaire, while five microfinance representatives and five market or local leaders provided explanatory qualitative accounts. Quantitative data were summarised using frequencies, percentages, item means and composite categories; Pearson’s chi-square tested the association between awareness and accessibility. Qualitative accounts were analysed thematically and integrated with the numerical results. The analytical dataset produced an awareness mean of 2.73 and an accessibility mean of 2.62 on five-point scales. Forty-two women were classified as having low awareness and 42 as having constrained accessibility. Collateral, interest or service charges, and lack of information were the most frequently reported principal barriers. Awareness and accessibility were significantly associated, χ²(1, N = 90) = 19.401, p

Keywords: Women Marketeers; Microfinance; Accessibility; Awareness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G21 J16 O16 R51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cwk:ajocsl:2026-070

DOI: 10.59413/ajocs/v7.i5.3

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