Review of the book Women and the informal economy in urban Africa: from the margins to the centre, by Mary N. Kinyanjui

Abstract

This review examines Mary N. Kinyanjui’s book Women and the Informal Economy in Urban Africa: From the Margins to the Centre, which explores the experiences of women informal traders in Nairobi and their relationship with the city’s formal institutions, economic systems and urban space. The book challenges approaches to African urban development that treat the formal economy as the norm. Instead, it presents African cities as spaces in which formal and informal economic activities, workers and institutions are closely interconnected. Particular attention is given to women informal garment traders in Nairobi and their efforts to gain access to commercial space, economic opportunities and greater visibility within the city. The review highlights the value of the book’s detailed account of women’s informal economic activity and its contribution to debates on gender, urban planning and the informal economy. It also notes limitations in the extent to which the Nairobi case can be generalised to women informal workers elsewhere in Kenya and across Africa. Overall, the review presents the book as a useful contribution for readers interested in gender, urban planning, women’s livelihoods and the informal economy in Africa.