Nigeria’s informal sector is much more than street hustles and unstructured small businesses. While the formal sector has long been the major driver in Nigeria, the truth is that the informal sector has risen in the shadows, bearing the economy on its shoulders.
We started this report with an open mind but a preformed idea of what the informal sector is. The sector is much more than fashion designers, market sellers and bus drivers.
This report is based on our research. We interviewed 500+ business owners in four focal sectors—agriculture, Creative, Digital, and Artisan Industries—50% of whom were women. We also surveyed 8,000 businesses in rural, urban, and suburban areas across the four focal points.