Strengthening public policies for decent work in Francophone Africa in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

The project seeks to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small informal businesses in Benin, Cameroon, Morocco, and Senegal. It will explore policy options for targeted support to those businesses in a way that helps contain the spread of COVID-19 and similar pandemics in the future. It will also seek to identify the best options for building the long-term resilience of vulnerable population groups involved in small informal businesses. Using mixed methodologies, the research team will conduct multidisciplinary analyses integrating gender considerations to better understand the specific challenges facing women and young people. It will then propose appropriate strategies for tailored support. The findings will help to inform the deliberations of the presidential COVID-19 response unit in Senegal, the bureau for economic analysis at the Presidency of Benin, and the COVID-19 national response unit in Cameroon.