The informal economy, which is also the informal private sector, features less on the priority list of our national development agenda despite the fact that this sector provides opportunities - though minimal- to the most vulnerable populations e.g. the poor- mostly women and youth- who happen to dominate this sector. The vendors Initiative for social and economic transformation (VISET) Namibia in partnership with the Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID) and with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) hosted a public discussion in an attempt to create awareness around how the informal trading domain affects the lives of majority of Namibians, shed light on financing requirements for the sector and identify the pro and cons of formalization and informality. The experts who served as panellists for this discussion were Ms. Ally Angula (Entrepreneur), Dr Mungai Lenneiye (Former World Bank Country Manager for Zimbabwe and Director for Udugu Institute), Dr Ndumba Kamanyah (Political Analyst) and Ms. Twapewa Kadhiwa (Entrepreneur). The event which was moderated by Ms. Naita Hishoono from NID, was attended by 33 members of the public in total. This discussion was held at The House of Democracy.

It's heartening to see that there are efforts in Africa to support informal economy workers, but there are still challenges in implementing social protection. Some governments are offering limited relief grants, which may not be enough. That's why we want to talk to different informal trader associations in Africa to explore alternative incentives to support traders during COVID-19. Our goals are to understand why social protection is challenging to implement, propose temporary incentives to help during these unprecedented times, and shed light on the consequences of not having social protection systems in place. We're excited to work together to find solutions that can make a real difference for informal traders across Africa.

VISET Zimbabwe held a talk to celebrate International Vendors Day on November 17, 2020. It was done online with the theme, "Social security and the future of informal economy work." This day is a chance to highlight how street vendors contribute to their economies. The discussion focused on three things: 1. Challenges faced by informal workers during the COVID pandemic 2. Social security during and after COVID-19 3. The future of the informal economy There are many efforts to create social protection systems for informal workers in Africa. However, they face difficulties in developing and putting these systems in place. This talk aimed to offer ideas on how vendor associations can support informal traders during the pandemic and beyond by suggesting temporary incentives. Finally, it discussed the consequences of not having social protection systems for informal workers in place.