Unemployment, household incomes and family strategies for survival (agenda item 2b)

Abstract

The prevailing economic situation in many African countries is very depressing. An increasing number of African countries are currently implementing economic reform programmes or structural adjustment programmes, which are designed to transform their economies into market economies where relative prices are determined largely by the market forces, and serve as instruments for allocating resources including labour. Although these African countries opted for the drastic economic reforms with a view of improving upon, the employment situation, providing basic needs and alleviating poverty, the measures have tended to worsen the problems that they were intended to solve. This paper attempts to shed some light on the difficult socio-economic situation in Africa, and makes proposals regarding economic recovery and employment promotion, with a view to improving the welfare of African families.