Hawking or street selling in Nigeria and Africa at large is a unique phenomenon that arose out of the need to solve societal problems such as unemployment, poverty and consumer goods accessibility.
It is a booming informal sector that has proved resilient despite various governmental efforts aimed at eradicating it.
Government at all levels have policies and prohibitions in place to ban hawking or street selling because they are seen as illegal, valueless and problematic-hence, a need to eradicate it from the society even though there is yet to be a better alternative.
The various “street selling not allowed” “ hawking not allowed” signage that adorn our public places, the unending fining and arrest of street sellers, and the construction of shopping malls and ultra-modern markets across cities have had little or no effect on reducing street selling in Nigeria.
However, over the years, street selling has become very popular and highly sought after across all social statuses especially in urban areas.
It is a common scene nowadays to see middle and upper-class consumers purchase assorted goods in traffic jams and by roadsides on their way to or from work and other commutes as seen in the video
Hawkers have devised a number of ways to convey their goods aside from the traditional head porterage to include wheelbarrows, table-tops and mobile kiosks among others.
This reality is also dawning on both large and small businesses that unorthodox methods of selling such as hawking is a viable means of marketing and selling to more consumers. I
n the city of Abuja and environs alone, it is estimated that about one billion Naira exchanges hands in hawking per month.
In its seemingly haphazard nature the hawking informal economy has been observed to be highly organised with its own degree of norms and regulations and social roles that ensure it meets the needs of the majority of the populace.
Recent studies have thus shown that hawking as a major activity in the informal economy is not necessarily illegal as hitherto generally believed. Instead, the activities of hawkers in developing economies like Nigeria mostly seem to be outside of formal regulations due to the ambiguity of policies and regulatory bodies’ activities.
Hawkers sell their wares through major routes across cities and even pay different forms of taxes to both state agents and informal tax collectors.
Please comment like and subscribe for more
16 окт 2024
