informal economy

Accra: Sensing the City Through Sound

It’s Saturday morning and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, a high-traffic and high-commerce road that links Accra’s Kantamanto and Makola Markets, is bustling.

In May, African Urbanism contributed to MIT’s Community Innovation Lab (CoLab Radio) “Listening to the City” series. The series includes sounds from cities such as a market in Mexico City, a struggling street market in Thessaloniki, Greece, and sounds of Los Angeles’ street economy. What do other cities sound like? Read descriptions of other cities included in the… Continue reading Accra: Sensing the City Through Sound

A World Bank chief economist’s take on informality and employment in Africa

Informal vendors sell fruits at periphery of Kaneshie Market, Accra, Ghana.

“Most Africans, the ones in rural areas as well as people in the urban areas, are in the informal sector. And there is a reason for that: they cannot afford to be unemployed. Most of the unemployed in Africa are people with secondary school degrees, who have finished secondary school or even university. They are… Continue reading A World Bank chief economist’s take on informality and employment in Africa