Development and
Cooperation

Digital monthly 7/2022

Informal sector

Healer procuring supplies for traditional medicinal use at a local market in the Nigerian city of Akure in August 2019.
Traditional medicine

Why many Africans must rely on informal health care

Traditional medicine is often inadequate, though it does work in many cases and is comparatively cheap

Women are unequal to men in many places.
Gender equality

Women are particularly disadvantaged in the informal sector

Gender equality matters in both the formal and the informal economy, for example when it comes to finance

Street stall in South Sudan.
Economy

Bringing businesses out of the informal sector

Governments and donor agencies worldwide do a great deal to strengthen the formal economy – but not all their efforts are crowned with success

More Articles

Printing traditional Javanese textile patterns in a small-scale workshop.
Relevant reading

In promotion of small businesses, prioritise social capital

Indonesian economist says social infrastructure is more important than hard infrastructure

Street-side barbershop in Zimbabwe.
Our view

The nightmare of states that are too small

For informal businesses, state absence means people can only trust those who are close to them

Herder in Niger.
Sahel region

Innocent suffering in the Sahel region

Climate change is making food insecurity worse in Niger

Harvesting shea nuts in Okere City.
Development project

Project develops rural community with shea butter

A sustainable rural city creates employment opportunities for rural dwellers in Uganda

Unplanned settlements are displacing informal vegetable growers in Abidjan.
Africa

Informal farming in the city

In Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, many farms face an uncertain future

Small retail business in Abidjan.
Africa

Informal markets in Africa under pressure

In cities like Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, many people rely on informal work but the conditions of employment are precarious

Father and daughter picking waste in Islamabad.
Pakistan

Some poor people depend on garbage scavenging in Islamabad

In Pakistan, informal waste pickers manage about 50 % of municipal waste

Rural women in Kenya: fetching water can take a long time, and it may not be safe for drinking.
Gender relations

Domestic helpers are informally employed in many countries

Why men are closer to achieving a good work-life balance than women