Women-led Research and Consultancy Firms in Ethiopia: An Insight

In Ethiopia, a number of consultancy/research firms operate and work on multiple thematic areas such as education, gender, health, business, and development. However, women-led research/consultancy enterprises are rare. Includovate Ethiopia has female shareholders and is led by a woman Managing Director, Elsabeth Belay.

In 2021, an Includovate researcher carried out a rapid online assessment study of 50 selected research and consultancy firms in Ethiopia. The focus of the study was to understand women’s participation in Ethiopian research firms, including in owning and/or directing the firms. By undertaking an online search of the firms and using the snowball sampling technique, the researcher accessed the firms’ physical, email, and website addresses, and cell phone numbers. Research/consultancy firms, also known as Private Limited Companies (PLC) based in Addis Ababa were included in the search and institutions that entirely focused on training were excluded. Includovate’s researcher conducted email and telephone interviews with the firms’ representatives in order to know the gender breakdown of their staff, the firm’s areas of research interest, and the owner and/or director of the firm. The data collected are analysed and interpreted using qualitative and quantitative techniques, and a summary of the findings is presented below.

The study found that out of the total number of 314 staff members in the assessed consultancy firms, 196 (62.4%) were males and the remaining 118 (37.6%) were the female staff. Males were numerically dominant in about 34 of the consultancy firms, and the number of male and female staff members was equal in three. Other studies in Ethiopia show equally poor workforce diversity and gender mainstreaming results.

In a very small number of firms, women staff members actually dominated, particularly in those firms owned and/or managed by women. Of the seven consultancy and research firms where women are the owners and/or the directors of the firms, women staff outnumber their male counterparts. At one woman-owned firm, women account for nine out of 11 staff members, and in another woman-owned firm with 20 staff, female staff are 17 (85%) and males are only three (15%). At the only firm led by a woman CEO, women staff are outnumbered by the male staff, three to 10. This data suggests that firms with women leaders hire and attract more women.

The findings of the study show that in the 50 consultancy firms studied, 43 (86%) are owned and/or managed by a male, while the remaining seven firms (14%) have female owners and/or directors. Of those seven owned or managed by women, men and women have jointly owned and coordinated one firm together. As the Managing Director of Includovate Ethiopia, Elsabeth Belay says, ‘it is very hard to be a woman in business in Ethiopia. There is so much discrimination. You are made to wait longer at government offices, and contracts usually go to male-owned firms.’

The majority of the consultancy and research firms are engaged in issues related to business, health, development, industry, engineering, and education. Although one research firm claims that its focus is on gender and development, it does not have a single woman on staff. Ms Belay says, ‘Includovate is one of the few PLCs in Addis Ababa that focus on inclusion and can claim to be feminist.’ Case studies completed in Ethiopia show that gender parity in the workforce is possible.

As a feminist organisation led by a woman CEO and women Managing Directors, Includovate has strategically positioned itself to overcome discriminatory norms that perpetuate gender inequality and poverty via research, evaluation, and capacity building work. Includovate believes that local women and underrepresented groups should lead research. Includovate’s CEO Kristie Drucza says, ‘we walk the talk. We try to localise research and knowledge creation. We promote inclusion and employ inclusively.’ Out of Includovate’s staff, 73% are women, 7% have a disability, and 61% are based in Africa. Includovate’s Head of Partnerships and Business Development, Kanika Joshi, says ‘through its continued commitment to evidence-based research and quality, and action-oriented knowledge products, Includovate is on track to become a global thought leader in the fields of inclusion, diversity and gender.’

Dr Drucza explains, ‘International development has a localisation agenda to incorporate more non-government organisations (NGOs) in its work, but what about the private sector? Where are the incentives to hire local firms and firms run by women? Only supporting NGOs interferes with sustainability and market-based approaches.’ Ethiopia (like many other countries) needs a women-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) procurement strategy. The United Nations and many other academics and institutions have been advocating for Gender Responsive Procurement for some time. It is not just the government of Ethiopia that should prioritise women-owned SMEs, but also donors, NGOs and other development partners.

If you do not already apply affirmative action in your company or organisation’s procurement policies, then the following resources can help you correct any (unconscious) biases in your procurement processes that may favour male-owned firms: Models of gender-sensitive procurement used by international aid entities; the Gender Responsive Procurement Playbook; and Promoting Women’s Empowerment through Business Operations Strategy. Moreover, Includovate can help any organisation to develop culturally sensitive (evidence-based) gender policies and affirmative action strategies and plans that align with internal policies and international guidelines. We can also coach leaders to become more inclusive allies. For a quote please email [email protected]