Freetown’s formal and informal economic activities
Listen to SLURC Researcher Ms. Sudie Austina Sellu explain the findings of recent research.
The informal settlements in Freetown provide many employment opportunities, including fishing in coastal communities and stone mining for those located on hillsides.
Whilst these livelihood activities are informal, they play key roles in the city economy, such as supporting the construction of houses and in feeding the city.
The video mentions Portee-Rokupa (point 13), which we visited in video 1.13 in week 1, and Moyiba (point 12). You can explore both settlements through the Freetown interactive Map.
The map below is part of the research mentioned by Ms Sellu. It shows the connections between specific livelihood sectors in four informal settlements and the rest of the city. The orange parts of the city are the informal settlements. Black arrows show the places where residents buy inputs and tools for their livelihoods sectors, while brown arrows indicate where these residents sell their products. What can you notice about the economic linkages between the informal settlements and other more formal areas of the city?
Development and Planning in African Cities: Exploring theories, policies and practices from Sierra Leone
Development and Planning in African Cities: Exploring theories, policies and practices from Sierra Leone
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