5. Covid-19 Pandemic, Gender and Informal Work: Voices from Street Vendors in Accra, Ghana

Effects of COVID-19 on coastal livelihoods in the central region of Ghana

“…For example, Rozelle et al (2020) found that rural families in China suffering from income losses cut back on buying grains and staples in bulk. These findings also corroborate an observation made by Amoah (2021) in investigating the effects of COVID-19 on street vendors in Ghana.…”

“…While the government has launched an intervention to support those needing food and other necessities, the narratives suggest that many coastal people are yet to be reached. This highlights the reality of limited transformative social policies seeking social protection and redistribution to informal economy workers ( Amoah, 2021 ; Nyashanu et al, 2020 ; Altamirano, 2017). The defiance of social distancing protocols by fishers, fish sellers and processors resonates with examples of other informal workers in South Africa and Nigeria.…”

“…For instance, female leaders of fisher associations in Brazil considered the economic and well-being effects of COVID-19 to be harsher on fishers than men did ( Silva et al, 2022 ). As a result, many vulnerable people resorted to destructive coping strategies, including depleting saving and compromising food quality and intake ( Amoah, 2021 ; Belton et al, 2021 ). Other informal workers in Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa defied COVID-19 regulations to secure incomes to survive during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis ( Onyishi et al, 2021 , Thulare & Moyo, 2021).…”

“…Other informal workers in Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa defied COVID-19 regulations to secure incomes to survive during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis ( Onyishi et al, 2021 , Thulare & Moyo, 2021). Several studies have focused on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on informal economy workers such as street vendors, traders, and waste pickers, among others (e.g., Amoah, 2021 ; Thulare & Moyo, 2021). In many countries in the global South, for instance, South Africa and Ghana, informal workers who did not wholly lose their livelihoods were locked out of employment ( Rogan & Skinner, 2020 ).…”

Livelihood resilience among street hawkers during Covid-19 lockdown in the Awutu Senya East Municipality, Ghana

“…Previous studies conducted in the Awutu Senya East Municipality has primarily focused on diverse topics ranging from the socio-economic conditions of caretaker families (Peprah et al, 2015) to spatial expansion and land use patterns (Doe et al, 2022), as well as waste and energy generation (Bawakyillenuo and Agbelie, 2014) and determinants of national health insurance enrollment (Quartey et al, 2023). Amoah (2021) in his quest to unravel the impact of COVID-19 on the informal sector, specifically on street vendors in Ghana, concludes that the main effects of COVID-19 on the livelihoods of street vendors, both men and women, were a decrease in working capital and poor market demand. Once more, street vendors were not eligible for the state's micro, small, and medium-sized business stimulus support package (Amoah, 2021).…”