The informal sector in urban Nigeria: Reflections from almost four decades of research

Abstract

English: The rapid expansion of the informal sector or economy in both developed and developing countries has not only captured the attention of researchers, development analysts, government officials and international agencies but is also prompting a massive profusion of literature on the topic. In the face of the huge plethora of informal sector literature, some scholars advocate ‘country distinction’ as a scale-bound and context-specific template for gauging both the ‘national’ and ‘global’ accounts of the informality story. The Nigerian informal sector is metaphoric of old wine in a new wineskin since ‘informality’ research in the country predates the introduction of the concept there. It was the ILO city-study mission to Lagos in 1975 that pioneered the concept but the terminology tottered until the mid-1980s before it diffused the mainstream of academic and policy circles. Ever since the structural adjustment programme (SAP) of 1986, the ascribed informal workforce has grown in leaps and bounds both in real numbers and in activity diversification. The article explores the nearly two decades’ trajectory and substance of informal sector research in Nigeria. It is significant for two reasons: no previous elaborate attempt has been made to systematically document or review the motleys of informal sector literature in Nigeria, and this evaluation promises, among other things, to provide the feedbacks necessary to avert a slide of informality research into “ritual academic blind alleys” (Flyvbjerg, 2004a: 422). Based on the foregoing, the article synthesises the knowledge gains (as well as gaps) and concludes with recommendations for future research.

Afrikaans: Die vinnige uitbreiding van die informele sektor of ekonomie in beide die ontwikkelde en onwikkelende lande het nie slegs die aandag van navorsers, ontwikkelingsontleders, regeringsbesluitnemers en internasionale agentskappe getrek nie, maar het ook ‘n massale vloed van literatuur oor die onderwerp tot gevolg gehad. In die lig van die groot aanbod van literatuur oor informele sektor is sekere navorsers ten gunste van ‘n ‘landonderskeid’ as deel van ‘n skaalgebonde en konteks-spesifieke raamwerk vir die beoordeling van beide die ‘nasionale’ en ‘globale’ weergawes van die informaliteitstorie. Die Nigeriese informele sektor is metafories van ou wyn in ‘n nuwe wynsak aangesien navorsing in ‘informaliteit’ in die land die toepassing van die konsep daar, vooruitgeloop het. Dit was die ILO se stedelike studie ondersoek van Lagos in 1975 wat die konsep populêr gemaak het, maar die terminologie het agterweë gebly tot en met die middel- 1980’s voordat dit die hoofstroom akademiese beleidsirkels binnegedring het. Sedert die strukturele aanpassingsprogram (SAP) van 1986 het die informele werkersgeledere met spronge toegeneem in beide werklike getalle en diversifisering van aktiwiteite. Hierdie artikel ondersoek die bykans twee dekade-lange geskiedenis en inhoud van informele sektor navorsing in Nigerië. Dit is betekenisvol vir twee redes: geen uitgebreide poging is nog tot dusver aangewend om die omvangryke versameling literatuur oor die informele sektor in Nigerië sistematies te dokumenteer nie, en hierdie evaluering is ‘n poging om, onder andere, die terugvoer wat nodig is om die verval van informele navorsing in ‘n ‘ritueel van akademiese blinde gange,’ te verhoed (Flyvbjerg, 2004a: 422). Gebaseer op die voorgaande sal hierdie artikel die nuut verkreë inligting analiseer and dan saamvat met aanbevelings vir toekomstige optrede.

SeSotho: Kgolo kapa katoloso e potlakileng ya lefapha la barekisi ba seng molaong kapa la moruo dinaheng tse hlabolohileng le tse hlabolohang ha e a hapa maikutlo a babatlisisi feela, basekaseki ba tlhabollo, basebeletsi ba mmuso le yona mekgatlo ya lefatshe, empa e sa boetse e bakile hore ho be le tsa bongodi tse kgolohadi hodima taba ena. Tjhadimong ya bongatahadi ba dingolwa tsa ba lefapha le seng molaong, baithuti ba bang ba nka “ho qollwa ha naha” e le sona sekala seo ba ka se sebedisang e le selekanyi se ka tobanang hantle ho lekanya diketsahalo tsa setjhaba le tsa lefatshe lohle tsa pale ena ya ho sa be molaong. Lefapha la barekisi ba seng molaong la Nigeria le tshwana le veine ka mokotlaneng wa letlalo o tshelang veine ka ha dipatlisiso tsa ho sa be molaong ka hara naha di ja selelekela sa taba ena moo. E ne e le sepheo Mokgatlo wa Lefatshe wa Basebetsi sa boithuto ba metsemeholo mane Lagos ka selemo sa 1975 se hlahisitseng mohopolo ona, empa lebitso lena kapa lentswe lena le ile la tswela pele ka monyebe ho fihlela dilemong tsa bo1980 pele le lokolla mafapha a maholo a thuto e phahameng le a leano. Haesale ho tloha ka lenaneho la tokiso la 1986, barekisi bana ba ile ba hola ka palo e phahameng ka dipalo esita le ka tshebetso e fapaneng. Ditaba tsena di hlahloba tsela ya mengwaha e ka bang mebedi le dipatlisiso tsa sesosa sa lefapha la barekisi ba seng molaong ho la Nigeria. Ke ntho ya bohlokwa ka mabaka a mabedi ana: la pele, ha ho na boiteko bo kileng ba etswa ba ho kenya sena ditokomaneng kapa ho lekola hape barekisi ba dingolwa tse seng molaong ho la Nigeria; la bobedi, tekanyetso ena etshepisa hara tse ding, ho fana ka diphetho tse hlokehang ho phema ho ritsa ha dipatlisiso tse sa nepahalang ka hara difofu tsa balekane tsa thuto e phahameng ya tlwaelo. (Flyvbjerg, 2004a: 422). Ka ho thewa hodima se boletsweng, ditaba tsena di sebedisa tsebo e seng e fumanwe ( esitana le dikgeo) mme e qetelle ka dikgothaletso tsa dipatlisiso tsa ka moso.