An Intervention Study on Comparative Business Models and Female Leadership in Southern Mozambique

This intervention study addresses a critical gap in understanding how specific business model adaptations influence female leadership efficacy within Southern Mozambique’s entrepreneurial landscape. It empirically compares the impact of two culturally attuned models—a cooperative-based collective model and an individual growth-centric model—on the leadership development and enterprise sustainability of women entrepreneurs. Employing a mixed-methods, longitudinal design, the study engaged 120 female business owners across Maputo, Gaza, and Inhambane provinces from 2023 to 2025. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two 12-month capacity-building programmes, each structured around a distinct business model. Data were collected through pre- and post-intervention surveys, in-depth interviews, and analysis of business performance metrics. Quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate that while both interventions enhanced business skills, the cooperative model fostered significantly greater improvements in participants’ perceived leadership authority, community influence, and long-term risk resilience. Conversely, the individual growth model yielded marginally higher short-term profit gains but was correlated with increased isolation and leadership vulnerability. The study concludes that business models prioritising collective action and social capital are more conducive to cultivating robust and sustainable female leadership within this context. These findings advocate for the deliberate integration of communitarian principles into enterprise support frameworks to advance women’s leadership and governance across the region.