Conference to spotlight increasing importance of informal economy in Africa

The African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) and are hosting a policy dialogue to discuss the increasing importance of the informal economy in Africa at the Elephant Hills Hotel from the 10th to the 11th of May in Victoria Falls.

The hybrid conference brings together government officials, representatives of the African Union Commission, employers’, workers’ organizations, development agencies, informal economy actors, academics, and Civil Society Organizations to understand policy gaps in Africa and strategize on more effective policy responses and solutions to facilitate inclusive, resilient, sustainable, and prosperous recovery.

The informal economy absorbs between 83-85 % of young employment seekers in Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, while there are no adequate investments for inclusive structural economic transformation. Thus, this policy dialogue supports the identification of challenges, sharing of good practices, and learning from each other’s perspectives, including fostering effective pathways to formality in Africa.

Keynote speakers at the conference include Cynthia Samuel-Olonjuwon – ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Africa and hunna Eziakonwa, UNDP’s Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa.