SECTION ONE                                                                                                                   1

1.1       Conceptual Review                                                                                                   1

1.1.1    Concept of Entrepreneurship                                                                                    1

1.1.2    Concept of Rural Entrepreneurship                                                                          4

1.1.3    Types of Rural Entrepreneurship                                                                             6

1.1.4    Female as Entrepreneurs                                                                                           6

1.1.5    Categories of Women Entrepreneurs                                                                       9

1.1.6    Women Enterprises in Nigeria                                                                                 10

1.1.7    Enhancing Women's Contribution to the Economy Development                         11

1.1.8    The Challenges of Female Entrepreneurs                                                                12

1.1.9    Contribution of Female Entrepreneurship                                                               19

1.1.10 Meaning of Economic Development                                                                       20

1.1.11 Meaning of Rural Development                                                                               21

1.1.12 Women Entrepreneurship and Rural Development in Nigeria                                    23

1.1.13 Entrepreneurship Development of Rural Women through Self Help Groups       27

1.1.14 Nigeria’s Experience on Rural Development                                                          28

1.1.15 Rural Entrepreneurship as a Force for Economic Change                                     30

SECTION TWO                                                                                                                  33

2.2       Theoretical Review                                                                                                   33

2.2.1    Social Action Theory                                                                                                33

2.2.2    Social Exclusion Theory                                                                                           34

SECTION THREE                                                                                                              37

3.1       Empirical Review                                                                                                      37

SECTION FOUR                                                                                                                 41

4.1       Gaps in Knowledge                                                                                                   41

4.2       Conclusion                                                                                                                 42

References                                                                                                                             43 

Women entrepreneurial activity has tremendously contributed to socioeconomic impact on rural entrepreneurs especially female in Nigeria. However, women benefited immensely from micro loans and facilitate their entrepreneurial activities in the country. Consequently, the study examine the role of women entrepreneurship in rural development. With the use of library based method, the research emphasizes the role women entrepreneurs played as the potentially emerging human resource in Nigeria to overcome the socio-economic challenges in global perspective. Nigerian women are confined with domestic responsibilities rather than being educated, acquiring knowledgeable and be innovative. At the same time as few of them do parts of the overall population possess the capacity to transform rural economies into flourishing enterprises. High developing and lower middle economy have realized that developing women entrepreneurship is crucial to thrive as economically overriding nation in the technologically advanced world. Women sustainable development is a critical one toward rural economic transformation and growth for any country; therefore the economic sustainability of women entrepreneurship program is vital and challenging one to stakeholders and policy makers. Those women continue to help in boosting a sustainable economy for themselves and provide job opportunities for others women. The rural women entrepreneurs with the sustainable economic development are able to contribute to the families, and increase per capital head. The present study deals with role of women’s entrepreneurship in rural development, contemporary perspective of women in opportunities and limitation of rural female entrepreneurs. This study tries to bring to light the women’s sustainable development is predestined and possible with support for government and non-governmental organisation.