ABSTRACT

Over the past two decades, there has been a revival of interest in the informal economy because of its impact on the reality and daily lives of African people. This interest is based on the fact that the local populations perceive the informal economy as an alternative economic development model, which, in turn, raises many questions from both local and international public authorities about how to implement a tailored development strategy to allow for a surge in the economy of African countries. The informal economy is characterized by a multiplicity of micro, small and medium family businesses, individual and/or collective, which base their rationale on the solutions they provide in meeting the needs of local and proximate customers. If informal activities are conducted outside the strict observance of the laws in force or due to a legal vacuum or inadequacy of local regulations, then they highlight the complexity of conditions that predetermine the emergence of the informal economy on the one hand, and supplant some of the sovereign prerogatives of the State regarding resource allocation policies designed for employment, vocational training, apprenticeship, SME financing and the implementation of minimum income for all on the other.