Developing ASAL regions in Kenya

About a month ago, I had the pleasure of accompanying a team of consultants to the North Eastern part of Kenya. Most of the counties in the region fall under the Arid and Semiarid Lands (ASALs) geographic section of the country and are predominantly engaged in pastoralism. It was while on the trips to Turkana …

The relationship between poverty and the informal economy

The number of people who are engaged in informal employment has been on a steady rise over the past decade, a phenomenon that is increasingly prevalent in developing and third world countries. A deeper delve into this issue reveals an intricate relationship between the level of informality in various regions of the world and the …

Jobless Growth in Africa

Despite the fact that East Africa remains the fastest-growing sub-region in Africa with an estimated growth of 5.6 percent in 2017, up from 4.9 percent in 2016, it still grapples with low job growth rates. The African Economic Outlook 2018 by the African Development Bank Group (AFDB) further notes that it is imperative for sustained …

The Significance of Investing in the Young Population

The Kenya Economic Report 2015 whose theme is ‘Empowering Youth through Decent and Productive Employment’ released by the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) is timely as it provides an indepth look at youth empowerment with a major focus on employment. The youth account for about 6o% of the labour force in …

The Kenyan Government’s Priorities for the Informal Sector

It is a welcome development to see that the prolonged electioneering period has come to an end, for it was characterised by the slow down and even stagnation of certain businesses that has had a negative effect to the economy. As the new administration comes into office, it is interesting to note that it has …

Informality – Africa and Latin America

In the last article, I gave an overview of the informal sector in both Latin America and Africa while looking at the general features that characterise them. In this piece, I will delve into the similarities and differences in their operation while putting into perspective the opportunities and challenges that they face in line with …

Economic Inclusion in Africa and Latin America

Global development is an aspect that is at the centre of programs that are aimed at improving the quality of life of people around the world. Africa and Latin America are home to most of the world’s developing and third world economies where poverty is rife. In this sense, they are constricted in their growth …

The Role of Informality in Urbanization and Industrialization

The Economic Report on Africa 2017 was released by The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa(UNECA). This year’s report looked into ways in which the continent can harness industrialization to better structure the fast pace at which urbanization is taking place. Given that Africa is the fastest urbanization region after Asia, the report puts emphasis …

Lessons from Informal Business

Formal employment opportunities have been on a steady decline. Over the past two years, a number of institutions in Kenya have laid off staff as a cost cutting measure. This coupled with a constantly increasing level of unemployment, especially among the youth, has resulted in the mushrooming of small businesses that enable those that are …

Working Poverty

During the past decade, there has been a rise in the number of people pursuing alternate means to employment as a means of raising their living standards. This can be largely be attributed to the high levels of unemployment as well as the rising number of people that are engaged in poor quality jobs. The …