Informal Economy Monitoring Study: Street Vendors in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

This report examines the experiences of street vendors in Accra as part of the Informal Economy Monitoring Study, a multi-city research programme designed to understand the forces shaping work in the urban informal economy.

The Accra study combined qualitative and quantitative research to investigate how economic trends, urban policies, institutional practices and relationships with the formal economy affect street and market vendors. Informal workers and their membership-based organisations were placed at the centre of the research process.

The findings highlight the important contribution street vendors make to Accra’s economy while also documenting the challenges they face, including insecure access to public space, inadequate infrastructure, difficult relationships with city authorities and wider economic pressures.

The report argues that urban policies should recognise informal workers as legitimate economic actors and recommends greater consultation with vendors and their organisations when policies affecting their livelihoods are designed and implemented.