Abstract
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the highest rates of the poor and working poor and the most vulnerable employment situation in the world. This assertion draws attention to just how critical economic conditions are in Africa. In direct response to a post-1980s phenomenon, the steadily rising number of poor workers facing diminishing prospects for well-paid jobs, the International Labor Organization (ILO) first applied the concept of the “informal sector” in Africa, beginning with Ghana. In spite of the increase in the size of this sector, its wages, benefits, safety health and other conditions are least desirable. It has grown exponentially due mostly to massive job destruction from a combination of neoliberal economic policies and unprecedented mismanagement, incompetence and corruption.
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Panford, K. (2017). The Paradox of Africa’s Natural Resource Wealth. In: Africa’s Natural Resources and Underdevelopment. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54072-0_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54072-0_2
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