Urban livelihoods

The livelihoods of urban Africans—how they earn incomes and sustain themselves—is closely related to the structure and cyclical dynamism or stagnancy of the continent’s urban economies. The precise relationships over time between economic growth, diversification and population have been complex and variable within and between countries but stable, formal waged employment is usually the preserve of a minority of residents. Urban livelihoods are often characterised by precarity, insecurity, informality and at times illegality. Many households, and even individuals, rely on multiple income-generating activities to make ends meet. Gendered work and gender disparities are the norm, with women almost invariably earning less for comparable work, and comprising the majority of part-time and precarious workers. The vulnerability of urban livelihoods is exacerbated by cyclical economic fluctuations and global restructuring, as well as by climate change and epi- and pandemics.