Forum on HIV/AIDS and the Informal Economy in Africa 20 October 2005, Geneva

1. Forum on HIV/AIDS and the Informal Economy in Africa20 October 2005, Geneva http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4495739.stm Geneva Social Observatory 37-39, Rue de Vermont / Case Postale 22 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland Tel: +41.22.734.96.01 Fax: +41.22.734.96.02

2. MAPPING THE INFORMAL ECONOMYPhase One: 13 African Countries • Algeria • Cameroon • Dem. Rep. Congo • Ghana • Liberia • Niger • Nigeria • Senegal • Sierra Leone • South Africa • Tanzania • Uganda • Zimbabwe

3. The Informal Economy • Figures on the informal economy can provide a general picture of its significance: • Informal employment makes up 48% of non-agricultural employment in North Africa and 72% in sub-Saharan Africa. 1 • Average size of informal economy in Africa (in percent of GDP) was 42% for the years 1999/2000. 2

4. HIV/AIDS • Sub-Saharan Africa has just over 10% of the world’s population, • but is home to more than 60% of all people living with HIV - • some 25.4 million people. (UNAIDS 2004) Reference 3

5. On average, there are 13 women living with HIV for every 10 infected men in Sub Saharan Africa. • In most countries, women are being infected with HIV at earlier ages than men. • The differences are most pronounced among young people (aged 15–24 years). (3)

6. Mapping Exercise • Findings: • Self-employment comprises a greater share of informal employment (outside of agriculture) than wage employment: 70% of informal employment in sub-Saharan Africa and 62 % in North Africa. • Self-employment represents as much as 53 % of non-agricultural employment in sub-Saharan Africa and 31 % in North Africa. (4)

7. Home-based workers and street vendors are two of the largest sub-groups of the informal workforce. Together they represent an estimated 10-25 % of the non-agricultural workforce in developing countries. (4) http://www.galenfrysinger.com/aburi.htm

8. The informal economy is a larger source of employment for women than men • In sub-Saharan Africa, 84 % of women non-agricultural workers are employed informally compared to 63 % for men non- agricultural workers. (4) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4179938.stm

9. Four Case Studies • ILO/AIDS (6) • Ghana • Garage owners and hairdressers • Tema – an urban area in the Greater Accra region & Pokuase/Amasaman – rural area in same region • South Africa • Informal food sellers and informal hard goods hawkers and vendors • Johannesburg – urban & Tzaneen - rural • Tanzania • Brew sellers and traders in open markets • Kindondoni and Kyela • Uganda • Food and non-food sellers, manufacturers and service providers • Bwaise urban market- Kampala & Ochieng-Wakiso rural district

10. Lessons Learned • Case studies highlight the following problems in the sector: • vulnerability of workers in the sector, particularly of women workers and thus make a strong case for interventions in the sector. • extent to which workers in the informal sector are marginalized with regard to HIV/AIDS training, treatment and care. • need for concerted efforts to fight poverty alongside the struggle against HIV/AIDS • need for credit schemes and micro insurance for workers in the sector. • fact that day-to-day survival of the workers takes priority over other concerns such as HIV/AIDS. • high levels of mobility among a high number of informal sector workers makes them more difficult to reach for training and ongoing monitoring. • low rate of condom distribution at the sites and condom distribution is ad hoc and erratic. • lack of adequate organization among the sector and the consequential lack of ‘easy to use’ structures to support interventions. • working conditions which are not conducive to interventions. (6)

11. Programs • Streetnet International (7) • Membership-based organizations (unions, co-operatives or associations) directly organizing street vendors, market vendors and/or hawkers among their members, are entitled to affiliate to StreetNet International. • Represents 655, 485 members from 187 unions in 45 countries. • Its focal point of action is the Bellagio International Declaration of Street Vendors, a plan to create national policies to promote and protect the rights of Street Vendors and vendor associations. The long-term objective is to secure an ILO convention on the rights of street vendors. 

12. Homenet (8) • Has active member organizations in over 25 countries and publishes a newsletter which reaches organizations in over 130 countries.  • HomeNet was involved in lobbying for the passage of the International Labour Organization Convention on Homework (1996), which aims to bring about equality of treatment between home workers and other wage earners. Since the adoption of the Convention by the ILO it has been working for its ratification by member governments and organizations. • Women’s Associations • WIEGO - Women in Informal Employment Globalizing and Organizing • Progressive Women’s Association – Mama Afrika • Unions • Union Network International - Africa - Represents 655,485 members from 187 unions in 45 countries. Aims aim to support the recognition and organization of street and market vendors.

13. Works Cited: • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informal_sector • http://rru.worldbank.org/Documents/PapersLinks/informal_economy.pdf • http://www.unaids.org/EN/Geographical+Area/By+Region/sub-saharan+africa.asp • http://www.wiego.org/main/ilocstats.shtml • http://www.unaids.org/wac2004/index_en.htm • http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav/aids/publ/informalecoprev.pdf • http://www.streetnet.org.za/English/default.htm • http://www.wiego.org/papers/brochure.pdf