Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship

Informal entrepreneurship: A sub–Saharan African perspective

Existing scholarly research identifies informal entrepreneurship as a remnant of the past that will fade as economies modernise (Desta, 2018). This literature treats informal entrepreneurship as a ‘ghost’ from the dark shadows that must be tackled (Williams & Nadin, 2012). Within the formal vs. informal entrepreneurship debate, scholars have called for formalising the businesses owned by informal entrepreneurs (Nguyen et al., 2014; Tian et al., 2019). The position taken in this literature is that of neoliberalism–an ideology advocating for capitalist markets. The underlying assumption is that society works best when people and institutions work according to defined market principles. While this ideology has successfully provided the pillars for a capitalist society, it has been less context–sensitive when it comes to sub–Saharan Africa.

Research suggests that in sub–Saharan Africa, informal economies in which informal entrepreneurship is prevalent account for 66% of total employment (ILO, 2015) and up to 90% in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic (IMF, 2015). Since informal entrepreneurs within these countries participate in producing legitimate goods and services consumed in formal markets, informal entrepreneurship has a place in their economics (Simba et al., 2023). Existing studies recognise that the informal sector in general, and informal entrepreneurship in particular (Gold, 2019; Ramadani et al., 2019), is extensive, enduring, and expanding across global regions (Chen & Carré, 2020).

Against that backdrop, this call for papers invites scholarly work, empirical and theoretical, to highlight the essence of informal entrepreneurship in sub–Saharan Africa. We are particularly interested in work that pays attention to the processes of informal entrepreneurship, the role of informal entrepreneurs in poverty alleviation and employment creation, and their economic significance to sub–Saharan African countries. Such work must advance the notion of informalisation instead of formalisation (ILO, 2019), emphasising context (Simba, 2024). With such research ambitions, authors must develop theoretical explanations and perspectives to account for the behaviours, actions, and practices underlying informal entrepreneurship. While the list below provides a guideline of the topics authors might consider for this call for papers, it is not exhaustive.

• Grassroots entrepreneurship
• Indigenous entrepreneurship
• Slum entrepreneurship
• Ethnic entrepreneurship
• Hustling
• Bazzars
• Street vending
• Everyday entrepreneurship
• Market trading
• Community enterprises

Contact details: Prof. Dr. Amon Simba amon.simba@ntu.ac.uk