The effect of green finance instruments in ensuring the sustainability of women-led enterprises in Kiambu county

Abstract

This study examines the effect of green finance instruments in ensuring the sustainability of women-led enterprises in Kiambu County. Green funding has become a key strategy for sustainable development, including environmental protection and climate change mitigation, and it helps women-led businesses adopt sustainable practices. Green finance is a key enabler for equipping women-led companies in emerging economies like Kenya. The following objectives guided this study: to assess the effect of green loans and credit on the sustainability of women-led enterprises in Kiambu County, to examine the effect of green bonds on the sustainability of women-led enterprises in Kiambu County, to explore the effect of green microfinance on the sustainability of women-led enterprises in Kiambu County and to evaluate the effect of government incentives and policies on the sustainability of women-led enterprises in Kiambu County. Microfinance theory, financial inclusion theory, stakeholder theory, and institutional theory informed the study. Primary data used collected through questionnaires with women-led entrepreneurs. The study used survey questionnaires to poll 3400 women-led businesses and sample 358. The study employed descriptive statistics and multiple regressions to correlate factors in this quantitative data using SPSS version 27.0. Women-led enterprises receive sustainability support from green finance mechanisms, including green loans, bonds, microloans, and government-sponsored incentives. This research investigates the effects of green finance on women-run enterprise sustainability by assessing green loans, bonds, microfinance, and government incentive strategies. The findings of this study demonstrate that green microfinance (β = 0.799, p < .001), together with government incentives (β = 0.197, p < .001), contribute positively to women-led business sustainability. However, green loans (β = 0.012, p = 0.784) and green bonds (β = 0.012, p = 0.784) failed to yield statistically significant effects. The research suggests that institutions should provide gender-responsive green loans while streamlining green bond protocols and building microfinance networks with education-based financial support from governments. Sharing subjectively reported data defines one limitation, while exclusivity to Indian women entrepreneurs creates another challenge alongside the non-capability of determining cause-effect relationships from cross-sectional data. Future studies should include analysis across countries, qualitative research, and extended period investigations about the long-term effects of green finance. The study provides knowledge to guide policy decisions to develop financial systems supporting sustainable women-led enterprises.