The role of multilingual training in advancing women entrepreneurship in South African townships and rural areas
Makhosazana Faith Vezi-Magigaba · Elizabeth Oluwakemi Ayandibu
International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy · 2026 · Vol. 8 / Issue 1 · 70-82
Publication metrics
External links open provider records or DOI searches. Provider counts are not combined. Mendeley readership measures saves, not citations.
Dimensions
Live provider badge. If unavailable, use the Dimensions link above.
Observed 21 Oct 2026, 00:14 UTC
Observed 21 Oct 2026 00:14 UTC
OpenAlex and Mendeley observations refresh on article visits, at most once per 24 hours. Unavailable data is not zero. Google Scholar opens a DOI search.
Citations received by this article, grouped by the year of the citing work. Crossref and OpenAlex lifetime totals remain separate in Publication metrics.
2017–2026 Annual history last updated:
Citations received
OpenAlex · year of the citing work
Hover over a year or focus the chart and use arrow keys to inspect values.
2017–2026 annual-history window. 2026 is year to date. Unknown years have gaps.
View data & coverage
2026 is incomplete. Within a successfully fetched ten-year window, omitted years mean zero. Years beyond a saved observation’s window remain unknown (—). Older citations are excluded, so this chart’s sum may differ from the OpenAlex lifetime total. The date above belongs to this annual history; an unsuccessful refresh keeps the previous observation.
Abstract
This PRISMA-guided review synthesises evidence from 32 studies on how multilingual training supports women’s entrepreneurship in South African townships and rural areas. We focus on post-2010 literature from South Africa and comparable African contexts to examine the intersection of language, culture and capability-building in entrepreneurship support. Findings show that integrating indigenous languages and bilingual facilitation into training improves comprehension, confidence and customer reach; strengthens access to markets, finance and networks; and contributes to higher start-up participation and business resilience. Multilingualism emerges not only as a communicative aid but as a strategic resource that enhances inclusion, opportunity recognition and market insight. Policy and ecosystem factors such as public SME support and mobile enabled learning moderate these effects. We argue for language-sensitive curricula, co-delivery with community partners and targeted localisation of digital content. The review highlights design elements for more inclusive entrepreneurship development and outlines implications for policy and training providers. Keywords: multilingual training; women’s entrepreneurship; South Africa; language barriers; rural development; PRISMA.
Keywords: {'name': 'Multilingual Training; Women Entrepreneurship; South Africa; Language Barriers; Rural Development; PRISMA.'}
Authors & affiliations
Makhosazana Faith Vezi-Magigaba
University of Zululand
Elizabeth Oluwakemi Ayandibu
University of Zululand
Deposited references
Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.
No reference list supplied.