An Overview of Training Programs and Approaches for the Informal Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Training of individuals is one of the direct strategies to promote the informal sector which provides employment to the bulk of the urban population and is second only to smallholder agriculture as a rural employer. This paper reviews a wide range of training approaches employed to support new entrants into the informal sector, upgrade existing skills and assist disadvantaged groups. Apart from direct funding, the government is expected to formulate policies that would create a favourable environment for the private sector and NGOs to participate in the provision of training. The paper concludes by underlining that there are limits to what can be achieved through training alone. Successful training Programs are often an integral part of small-enterprise promotion packages which attempt to address several interrelated needs simultaneously.


Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review (EASSRR) VOLUME XVI No. 2 June 2000, pp. 95-115