Can we create better jobs in Africa’s booming construction sector ? Looking to market systems

short description

In low income countries, where populations are rapidly growing and urbanising, the construction sector is becoming an economic engine. Despite the sector’s increasing economic importance, particularly as an employer to the poor and most vulnerable, relatively few development projects have analysed or attempted to tackle the complex, sector specific challenges within it. And thus, very little is known about where projects should focus their resources to understand and address the causes to sector constraints.

Since 2014, the Lab project has completed market systems analyses on the building construction sectors in Mozambique, Zambia and Rwanda. Through these analyses, a number of commonalities have cropped up related to sector structure; constraints that limit market growth, worker development and business growth; and opportunities for project implementation. The key lessons distilled from these analyses have been synthesised in this brief to help development practitioners better understand the sector and its opportunities through a market systems analysis lens.Tags: decent work, employment creation, working conditions, vocational training, skills, enterprise development, small enterprises, informal economy, construction industry, womens empowerment, occupational safety and health, value chains, Africa

Regions and countries covered: Africa