Ghana’s informal economic sector in the face of a pandemic

Abstract

Africa has not been spared the socioeconomic effects of Covid-19. But with a different socioeconomic setup where informality takes the center stage, the effects of the pandemic in Africa is like no other continent. The neo-liberal approach to informality on the continent meant that the informal sector’s contribution to development was largely neglected. Specifically in Ghana, city authorities have been preoccupied with displacing informality or absorbing it into the formal sector. Consequently, the state had weak social safety nets for informality. Ironically, how well Ghana will do in the face of the pandemic now lies in the hands of the seemingly neglected informal sector. Like the case of the rejected stone, the road to Ghana’s socioeconomic recovery rests on the informal sector. This paper discusses the concept of informality during a pandemic, the economic power that rests in the hands of informal workers, and their neglect by city authorities that demonstrates the need for governments to reform its regulations regarding the informal sector during and after this pandemic.