Perception des femmes entrepreneures face aux exigences de garanties des organismes de crédits au Sénégal: quelle influence des réseaux d’affaires

Abstract The purpose of this article is to explore and assess the effects of networking on the apprehension of women entrepreneurs in Senegal regarding the conditions imposed by banking and microfinance institutions in the granting of credit. Therefore, based on data collected through semi-structured interviews with twenty women entrepreneurs in the regions of Dakar, Saint-Louis and Ziguinchor, Senegal, we show that women entrepreneurs have a negative perception of loans from formal credit agencies, due to the high interest rates and the requirement for guarantees. This prevents them from resorting to formal loans to fund their activities. They reckon that formal networking within professional organisations does not help them develop their businesses or access resources, unlike informal networking. They prefer to fall back on informal, less constraining networks based on fruitful self-connection built on trust.