Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to supplement the literature on the effect of female entrepreneurship on economic growth by bringing new evidence for the case of SMEs owned by women in Cameroon. Design/methodology/approach – Effects of female entrepreneurship on Cameroonian economic growth are analyzed through a simple statistical analysis. Findings – Our results reveal that there is a growing female entrepreneurship in Cameroon, localized in many different sectors of activity. Moreover, these SMEs are opportunity entrepreneurship which contributes to economic growth by considerably reducing unemployment particularly for women, generating revenues for government and enhancing human capital skills. Research limitations/implications – The study suggests an investment in SMEs owned by women and an investment in education and skills of those women in order to positively affect economic growth. Originality/value – Many studies have focussed their attention on the relationship between SMEs and economic growth, but few attempted to evaluate the theoretical assumptions in case studies and in a gender perspective.

This research documents facts and offers an empirical appraisal of the contribution of trade in services for African participation in global value chains. It adopts a comparative approach among flows, service categories and positions in a global value chain, using data for a panel of 36 sub-Saharan African countries from 2000 to 2017. The empirical analysis, using generalized method of moments in system, leads to three main results on the trade in services and global value chain nexus in Africa. First, the relationship is linear and positive. Secondly, exportations of services have a lower effect than importations of services, whatever the position in a global value chain. Thirdly, some services have a positive outcome on both backward and forward participation in global value chains, while others have a one-sided effect. Those results give African countries tools to set a comprehensive and rationalized strategy to deepen and upgrade their participation in global value chains using trade in services.

This study investigates how foreign direct investment (FDI) affects the participation of developing countries in global value chains (GVCs). This inquiry is crucial as FDI is seen, at least theoretically, as a means of expediting developing countries' participation in GVCs in some ways. It provides empirical evidence of this nexus between FDI and GVC using a dynamic panel data model including 43 developing countries (2010-2019). Our results show, among other things, that FDI has a significantly positive effect on the participation of developing countries in GVCs. This is found to be the case regardless of whether the FDI is in the primary, secondary or tertiary sector. However, to benefit fully requires policymakers to strengthen the absorptive capacity of the local labour force (productivity and education level).

Cet article analyse l’effet des investissements directs étrangers (IDE) sur les exportations et les importations de services dans les pays d’Afrique subsaharienne. La méthode des panels dynamiques, appliquée à un échantillon de 34 pays entre 2005 et 2015, montre que les IDE n’affectent pas directement les exportations de services, excepté lorsque les indicateurs institutionnels sont de bonne qualité. Par contre, une augmentation des IDE accroît significativement les importations de services. Autrement dit, les IDE entrant s’accompagnent d’un besoin de services importés et cette augmentation obéit à un effet de seuil. Classification JEL : F1, F13, F14

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