ABSTRACT The key to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is to unleash the economic potential of women and in that context, entrepreneurship is critical. The renewed attention on gender equality through more effective poverty reduction, tackling inequality and injustice, and ensuring women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship in developing countries has increased with improved availability of data on the positive impact of such activities on poverty alleviation, and an appreciation of the potential of unused skills of women, particularly from marginalized sections. Linking development policies, activities for employment generation and access to credit amongst women’s social groups to the concept of sustainable entrepreneurship and social business is equally essential. An understanding of these issues would help to frame policy recommendations to strengthen entrepreneurship both as economically rewarding activity but also as one that can foster much needed social change KEYWORDS: Gender equality; sustainable entrepreneurship; social business; corporate social responsibility