Project Leader: Dr. Sylvestre Ouédraogo

Institution: Yam Pukri

Region: Sub-Saharan Africa | West Africa

Start Date: 2008/03/10

The Project

This project seeks a better understanding of the dynamics of the informal information and communication technology (ICT) sector in society and the economy. To do so, it is important to characterize the informal sector in order to more fully understand the actual dynamics –the economic and social role – that it plays in the countries covered by the study: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Senegal. These three countries offer a diversity of context that is representative of the members of two sub-regional organizations, the West African Economic and Monetary Union and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community.

The Context

The African economy is characterized by the co-existence of a formal and an informal sector. The informal sector occupies, depending on the country and the area (urban or rural), 70-80% of the economically active population. Over the past few years its expansion has been favored by cyclic economic crises and the application of structural adjustment policies. Today, no part of economic and social life is without its informal sector. It is the same with the ICT sector, which has advanced in recent years aided by the liberalization of telecommunications, the arrival of the Internet and, more recently, the expansion of mobile telephone service to the farthest reaches of African countries. This new environment creates economic opportunities that contribute to national wealth and employment, and generates revenue for various social groups.

The Development Goals

Recognizing the important potential of the informal ICT sector, research is undertaken to recommend a regulatory framework and policy measures that are favorable to strengthening the capacity of the actors involved and facilitating their possible absorption into the formal sector.

The Impact

In providing a greater understanding of the dynamics of the informal ICT sector, including a more precise identification of the actors and the activities in which they are engaged, this study helps to better discern the potential of the informal sector, the factors leading to its dynamism, as well as its strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and challenges it presents. The project determines the social and economic role of the informal ICT sector including its contribution to national wealth, its creation of jobs, its revenue generating activities, and its interaction with other national and local sectors. Moreover, by analysing regulatory frameworks and policies that currently exist, this project provides political decision-makers with the information necessary to improve policies so as to better utilize the potential of the informal ICT sector and facilitate its passage into the formal sector.

Photos of Training 2009-20

Participation in IDRC Gender Workshop (en francais) 2008-10-16

2008-11-17 3:00 (Ottawa)
Methodology Workshop