Why brutalising food vendors is counterproductive

Those who complete the training receive a certificate for a licence which spares them from fines from the Kenya Dairy Board.

Zambia has taken a different approach by establishing ostensibly inclusive management boards of informal markets.

Local authorities, vendors, and consumers, all provide representatives involved in decision making.

This has created a transparent environment which also encourages adherence to fee payments for maintenance and sanitation needs, although it has sometimes been prone to political party interference.

Other regions have also demonstrated successful ways of working with informal vendors that can be applied to an African context.

In Vietnam, street vendors and the government have struck a compromise: vendors can work freely during specific hours so long as they clean up street litter at the end of their allowed time.

Informal workers in Peru are working with the government to develop laws for self-employment and street vending that allow for effective oversight and safety without stifling commerce or access.

In the coming years, these reforms to bring the informal sector under effective oversight will become increasingly important.

Urbanisation is currently occurring more rapidly in Africa south of the Sahara than anywhere else in the world.

The continent’s population is expected to be majority urban by 2030.

Yet there’s a general lack of strong urban development plans in most of these countries.

This means that the urban population growth will also surely drive growth in the number of people who rely on the informal economy for their food and income.

To feed these developing urban populations, Africa’s cities must find productive ways to work with the informal traders and markets where they get their food.

By Danielle Resnick. This article was first published by The Conversation

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