Researching urban poverty in sub-Saharan Africa

Urban poverty in sub-Saharan Africa is a major concern for social scientists. But there are as many definitions of poverty as there are ways to conduct research on it. The many different experiences of poverty have to be accurately recorded if resulting policies are to be relevant to the lives of poor people.

An article in the journal ‘Development in Practice’ considers how urban poverty should be researched in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on qualitative methods to obtain descriptive data about the nature of poverty. The author draws on experience from urban areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Research involves observing the ‘facts’ of poverty, understanding them according to theories, and using the results to drive policy. But how poverty is perceived depends as much on researchers and their theories as the actual experiences of the people being described. Various measures of poverty exist, but the complexity of poverty makes if difficult for researchers to agree on universal measurement criteria.

If poverty reduction policies are to succeed in sub-Saharan Africa, research must reflect this complexity. In the DRC, the author conducted research on urban poverty using different methods:

• Sampling: a group is selected by various methods to represent the whole population. The author compensated for inadequate administrative records and difficulty in selecting respondents by using many types of sampling.
• Indirect observation (literature review): this was problematic because of the weak publishing industry in sub-Saharan Africa, but the author used a range of sources.
• Questionnaire: as many African cities are multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan, the author was aware of the need to carefully design questionnaires.
• Interview: semi-structured interviews, whereby extensive information was obtained and verified by discussion, were the most useful method of data collection.
• Participant observation: the author spent time in households observing, listening, asking questions, and participating in activities to gain first-hand experience of daily life.

Methods of research in most of Africa differ greatly from that in developed countries. For instance, because of high illiteracy rates, paper surveys often cannot be used. Respondents living in repressive environments such as the Congo are often reluctant to make their views public. Using a range of methods, however, the author found that:

• Western development theories and current debates on the developing world do not adequately explain the Congolese reality, and locals are using their own skills and knowledge to solve their problems.
• Income poverty and unemployment in the capital Kinshasa denies people access to adequate food, decent homes, health services, education and transport.
• Many households survive through the informal economy, including those with formal jobs, for example small-scale trading.
• Informal social relationships through kin, neighbour and work-based networks have become a central resource, and gender equity has improved.
• The state must be committed to understanding and eliminating poverty, should encourage citizen participation (particularly by poor people), and focus on job creation in the formal sector.

Source(s):
‘Researching urban poverty in sub-Saharan Africa’, Development in Practice, Vol.17, No.1, pages 27-38, by Guillaume Iyenda, 2007

id21 Research Highlight: 8 June 2007

Further Information:
Guillaume Iyenda
Matetshi Limited
46 The Lawns
London, SE19 3TS
UK

Contact the contributor: giyenda@yahoo.com

Matetshi Limited, UK

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