Illegal Urban Entrepreneurship? The Case of Street Vendors in Lagos, Nigeria
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Date
2014
Authors
Lawanson, T
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Institute Tecknologi (ITS) Sepuluh Nopember, Surabaya, Indonesia.
Abstract
This paper considers the vulnerabilities experienced in making a living as a street trader in Lagos, Nigeria. Using the Tejuosho - Yaba - Ojuelegba - Barracks quadrant as a case study, the paper investigates the socio-economic profile of street traders, their basic survival strategies and goes further to examine the interface between street vendors and related urban stakeholders. Relying on both qualitative (informed participant interviews) and quantitative (survey by purposive sampling) data analysis, the study revealed that most of the respondents were aged between 16 and 35
years old and operated subsistence enterprises which were begun due to unemployment and the high cost of the renting stalls at the nearby Yaba market. The major challenge experienced was the institutionalized harassment by KAI officials, which aided extortion by other local stakeholders. The paper concludes by highlighting the potentials of the informal economic sector.
Description
Scholarly articles
Keywords
informal economy , street trading , Lagos , Trader , Research Subject Categories::SOCIAL SCIENCES
Citation
Lawanson T (2014) Illegal Urban Entrepreneurship? The Case of Street Vendors in Lagos, Nigeria, (2014) Journal of Architecture and Environment 13(1) 33-48. April 2014