Assessing the Capabilities of Informal Food Vendors to Achieve Decent Work: Evidence from Ferry Bus Stand, Kigamboni Municipality, Tanzania

Assessing the Capabilities of Informal Food Vendors to Achieve Decent Work: Evidence from Ferry Bus Stand, Kigamboni Municipality, Tanzania | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Assessing the Capabilities of Informal Food Vendors to Achieve Decent Work: Evidence from Ferry Bus Stand, Kigamboni Municipality, Tanzania sunday Isdory Mkama This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8575986/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract In Tanzania’s urban settings, informal food vending represents an important livelihood strategy, and while vendors are relatively common to this economic activity, they generally have limited knowledge of labor rights, limited sustainable business skills, and access to services that would help enable a good and decent work life. The study assessed the capabilities of informal food vendors at the Ferry Bus Stand, Kigamboni Municipality to earn a decent work life across three dimensions: knowledge of decent work principles; skills and competencies; and the ability to access support systems. A cross-sectional survey of 77 purposively sampled vendors was conducted using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive analyses revealed the majority of vendors had moderate knowledge of the decent work principles, practical vending and customer service skills were mostly present, while basic competencies in labor rights awareness, recording keeping and sound sustainable practices were mostly absent. Enabling access to services was highest through informal support networks (67.5%), but limited for financial services (28.6%), training programs (23.4%), and social protection (19.5%). The results substantiate that informal vendors are operationally knowledgeable, however, lack of knowledge, formal sustainable business skills and institutional support prevent them from earning a productive, safe and sustainable work life. The study indicates that targeted interventions that build labor rights awareness, business and administrative competencies, and access to formal enabling services are necessary, and recommends that securing access to a combination of informal and formal networks would enhance vendors' economic resilience and decent work outcomes, and contribute, overall, to the greater goals of urban inclusion and the ILO Decent Work Agenda. JEL classification J21, J24, J46, J81, J017, J015 Informal food vendors Decent work Skills and competencies Enabling services Urban livelihoods Figures Figure 1 1. Introduction Decent work is a fundamental component of inclusive and sustainable development. The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines decent work as opportunities of productive work (whether in formal or informal sectors) that guarantee fair incomes, security in the workplace, and social protection for all workers (Ghai, 2003 ; Posta & Prom-Jackson, 2015 ). It is not only a foremost human right but is also the driving force toward achieving economic and social progress, as it is a means to escape poverty. Still, despite progress being made globally, millions of workers are still stuck in unstable and informal employment, particularly in developing regions, and are excluded from the benefits of decent work. The informal economy accounts for a significant share of labor markets in the developing world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where it constitutes the majority of available employment (ILO, UNIDO, & UNDP, 2002). Within the informal economy are many subsectors, and one subsector that has become more visible is informal food vendors, which are critical sources of income for low-income urban populations (Bhowmik, 2007 ). Street food vendors are important contributors to urban food systems, providing affordable and easily accessible meals to tens of millions of people. However, these vendors are undervalued, and often excluded from urban policy review, and are not integrated within decisions related to formal regulatory protection, or social dialogue (Anjaria, 2006 ; Kannan & Papola, 2007 ). Within many developing cities, food vendors operate within precarious working conditions, coupled with poor access to basic services and little institutional support (Donkor, 2011 ; Omemu & Adereju, 2008 ). Access to adequate sanitation, poor infrastructure, and lack of formal recognition leads food vendors, generally, to be economically vulnerable, and exposed to health risks (Saha, 2011 ; Bas et al., 2006 ).These issues continue to exist despite the considerable economic and social contributions of vendors. As a result, the challenge of enabling informal vendors to achieve decent and dignified work remains an ongoing issue for both policymakers and urban planners. In Tanzania, the informal food vending sector is a significant means of self-employment and urban livelihood, especially in fast-growing municipalities, such as Kigamboni (Marras, 2018 ). Vendors often work in crowded, dirty, and unregulated locations and usually do not have access to credit, training or safety facilities (Munishi & Kirumirah, 2020 ). The situation at Ferry Bus Stand in Kigamboni reinforces the broader issues due to uncertainty, low income from vending, and limited institutional support faced by food vendors (Candefjord & Nilsson, 2015 ). These factors constrain their capacity to fulfill the conditions of decent work and facilitate stable livelihoods. Despite the acknowledged importance of informal vending in urban economies, an empirical understanding of the capabilities of vendors to attain decent work opportunities is limited in Tanzania. A range of provision issues exists when vendors lack knowledge of labor rights, entrepreneurial skills, and fundamental enabling services such as financial enablement, sanitation, and training (Donkor, 2011 ; Alene, 2020 ). The absence of capability limits their agency for improving working conditions and the prospects of attaining economic benefits. It is important to address these issues, not only to promote social protection and labor rights but also to realize Sustainable Development Goal 8 decent work and economic growth. Consequently, this research has been developed to examine the capabilities of informal food vendors to achieve decent work in the context of the Ferry Bus Stand in Kigamboni Municipality. and competencies for earning a decent living and access to enabling services and support systems. By blending the ILO Decent Work Agenda with the Capability Approach, the study will contribute new knowledge on the role that both individual agency and institutional support play in producing work outcomes in the informal sector. The findings are expected to provide local authorities and policymakers, as well as development partners with strategies to strengthen the dignity, productivity, and sustainability of informal urban livelihoods in Tanzania. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Theoretical Literature Review The International Labour Organization (1999) introduced the ILO Decent Work Framework as a holistic approach to ensuring that all workers have work that is productive, fair, and secure to support their livelihoods (Ghai, 2003 ; Posta & Prom-Jackson, 2015 ). In short, the framework addresses four key pillars of decent work: (1) employment creation, (2) rights at work, (3) social protection, and (4) social dialogue. The important issues surrounding decent work are fair incomes, safe working conditions, access to social security, and participation in decision making at work (Ghai, 2003 ). Indicators identifying variables such as job choice, respect for rights at work, income justice and fairness, and social security are critical to evaluating the quality of work in the various sectors. The ILO framework's relevance to this study is its focus on quality, conditions, and work within informal contexts, e.g. food vending, in an urban Tanzania (ILO, UNIDO & UNDP, 2002; Marras, 2018 ).The framework provides a normative standard to evaluate whether informal workers have fair, safe, and secure livelihoods by linking vendor knowledge, skills, and access to services with the four pillars of decent work. In practical terms, it allows for the identification of gaps between existing work arrangements and the well-established criteria for decent work, filling a general knowledge gap on informal economy participation studies and worker offerings. As such, it is a highly applicable framework in guiding the phases of data collection, analysis, and interpretation efforts in order to assess the capabilities and constraints worker food vendors experience at the Ferry Bus Stand in Kigamboni Municipality. The ILO Decent Work Framework has been utilized in sociology, economics, public health scope, and in development studies with a view to better understand labor quality, social protection, and inclusion in the workforce (Posta & Prom-Jackson, 2015 ; Ndullah 2019 ; Raphael & Mrema 2017 ). Based on the previous studies of informal sector workers, the framework has been used independently and in tandem with other theoretical perspectives, like the Capability Approach, to reflect on how human and structural variables impact job outcomes (Ghai, 2003 ; Alene, 2020 ). Researchers have used it in testing framework variables quantitatively or as a conceptual lens in support of qualitative findings to better understand labor rights and public health issues in relation to work environment safety, and income security (Bhowmik, 2007 ; Marras, 2018 ).Few, if any, studies have systematically applied this framework to informal food vendors in Tanzania, making it an important tool for examining how knowledge, skills, and service access enable or limit informal workers and their potential attainment of decent work standards in urban informal contexts. 2.2 Knowledge of Decent Work Principles of Informal Food Vendors Knowledge of decent work principles is defined by worker awareness and comprehension of equitable work practices, rights in the workplace, social protection, and safe working conditions (Ghai, 2003 ; Posta & Prom-Jackson, 2015 ) and is central in determining whether informal workers can access opportunities for equitable income, job security, and safe and healthy working conditions. For street food vendors, this knowledge includes although is not limited to their understanding of labor rights, as well as practical knowledge around OHS (occupational health safety) and food safety standards (Bas et al., 2006 ). Knowledge is typically measured in research through structured questionnaires, interviews, and/or surveys that determine how familiar workers are with laws, regulations, or safe work practices. There is some evidence from international contexts suggesting that informal vendors have limited knowledge of their rights and obligations at work. In Nigeria, Omemu and Adereju ( 2008 ) determined that vendors of street foods were unaware of occupational safety and food hygiene regulations, which put their workers and consumers at risk. Donkor ( 2011 ) also observed this pattern in Ghana, where vendors with lesser degrees of revealed food safety knowledge were participating in unsafe behaviors.Most of these investigations used quantitative survey techniques for direct measurements of knowledge levels and to highlight the important link between being aware of a situation and adopting safe work practices. Research conducted in Tanzania complements the international literature by drawing attention to the gaps in vendors’ knowledge of decent work principles. Tiisekwa ( 2013 ) demonstrated that salad and juice vendors in the Morogoro municipality had limited knowledge of the national food safety and labor laws, which adversely impacted their compliance with those legal requirements while conducting their operations. Marras ( 2018 ) also indicated that many street food vendors working within urban settings had not received any formal training and were unaware of their labor rights and perceived this as a systemic issue that excluded urban street food vendors from policy frameworks. However, these studies used descriptive surveys and interviews to verify that limited knowledge of decent work principles led to informal vendors' inability to meet acceptable work standards. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of research conducted in Tanzania to establish a direct link between knowledge of decent work principles to informal food vendors’ overall ability to achieve decent work. While both of these studies discussed vendor knowledge, they were externally focused on food handling hygiene and whether regulations were being abided with, ignoring the broader aspects of decent work principles in the ILO (Ghai, 2003 ). It may be more relevant to undertake knowledge analysis from a broader aspect rather than focusing solely on food hygiene, and incorporating elements such as their workers' rights, fairness of income, and risk of exposure to workplace hazards. Knowledge and information examples can help form the basis by which causal intervention strategies could be designed to create a tangible impact on informal food vendors’ capabilities in Kigamboni Municipality. 2.3 The Skills and Competences of Informal Food Vendors Skills and competencies are the abilities and practical knowledge (capabilities) that allow people to perform tasks, make decisions, and be productive (Meeks, 2017 ). In a food vendor context, skill sets and competencies include entrepreneurial sets or skills, food handling skills, customer service skills, and financial responsibility in managing aspects of food transactions. Competencies could also include problem-solving skill sets, flexible skill sets to be able to adapt to dynamic market conditions, and skill interactions to comply with health and safety policies (Bas, et al, 2006 ). Measurement of the informal vendor’s skills often occurs through the use of surveys, observations, and/or structured assessments that are used to assess the vendor’s skill in managing operations and meet established quality standards. Global research provides evidence that informal vendors may have basic entrepreneurial skills but have not had the opportunity for formal training that would allow them to maximize productivity and to be compliant. For example, in India, Bhowmik ( 2007 ) observed that street vendors relied on their personal life experience in business management; however, without formal skills, they had little ability for growth or safe operation. Similarly, Anjaria ( 2006 ) found that street hawkers in Mumbai have difficulty managing their limited permits, keeping food sources at proper hygiene levels, and adapting their business strategies to adjust for changes in vendors' flexible services. These studies emphasize that practical skills are vital for the sustainability of livelihoods and obtaining safe, equitable, and productive work opportunities in the informal economy. Local studies conducted in Tanzania emphasize similar gaps to urban food vendors in other developing countries in the world. For instance, Tiisekwa ( 2013 ) found that food vendors who sold salads and juices in Morogoro did not possess basic food hygiene, nutrition, or waste management skills that would allow them to comply with regulations and keep their food operations viable. Marras ( 2018 ) reported other vendors struggled with minimal education and training in entrepreneurial thinking or customer service. Lack of skills limits vendors’ growth opportunities and abilities to adhere to decent work standards. Collectively, these findings underscore the importance of skill enhancement and development for informal vendors to acquire capabilities that would allow them to achieve decent, safe and sustainable work. While, previous research illustrates the importance of skills, few have attempted to systematically investigate informal food vendors' skills to assess the relationship between their knowledge, skills, and competencies and their ability to achieve broad dimensions of decent work as defined by the ILO. Most articles focus specifically on their food hygiene or business technical skills, while ignoring their soft skills and capabilities around decision-making that would support viable livelihoods (Meeks, 2017 ; Alene, 2020 ). Investigating the whole range of skills and competencies from the perspective of the vendor adds more insight into how vendors' agency and skills enable them to navigate structural and institutional barriers. Understanding these interactions and systems in Kigamboni Municipality adds to the emerging body of literature on the role of skills in forming informal vendor's capacity to meet larger decent work standards. 2.4 Access to Enabling Services and Support Systems among Informal Food Vendors The ability to access enabling services and support systems is the presence and utilization of institutional, financial and social resources that allows individuals to participate in work in a safe, productive, and sustainable manner (Ghai, 2003 ; Posta & Prom-Jackson, 2015 ). For informal food vendors, this would include things such as training programs, financial credit, sanitation infrastructure, licensing, and municipal support. These resources are important to build vendors’ capacities to operate, secure their livelihoods, and conform to health and safety standards. Access is measured typically using surveys or interviews to determine availability, use, and perceived sufficiency of these service systems. International literature highlights how limited access to services is a major restraint to achieving decent work for informal workers. For example, in Uganda, Nzibonera and Waggumbulizi ( 2020 ) showed that small-scale entrepreneurs often struggle to expand their businesses and stay operational where there are barriers to microfinance and practical training. Similarly, Saha ( 2011 ) found that street vendors in Mumbai were unable to secure permits, legality, and municipal services which impacted their working conditions and income security. Overall, these studies suggest access to enabling services is an essential precondition for informal worker to achieve safe, fair, productive lives. Local studies have shown similar patterns of access issues for food vendors in Tanzania. For instance, Munishi and Kirumirah ( 2020 ) found that food vendors, in Dar es Salaam, experienced barriers to acquiring licenses, municipal support, and sanitation facilities which prevented vendors from being able to meet compliance and work under decent conditions. Wango et al. ( 2022 ) found that while informal social organizations have been instrumental in bridging gaps in social protection, and some degree of access to finance regarding food vendors, many did not substantially benefit from these services. Collectively these studies show how enabling services and support from institutions is unevenly available to informal vendors, which means they are less able to operate safely or with sustainable income. In spite of recognizing the importance of enabling services, there have only been a few substantial studies conducted in Tanzania that examine how access to services, in conjunction with vendors’ knowledge and skills, facilitated decent work outcomes. Most studies have isolated one aspect of decent work, such as microfinance, licensing, or sanitation, instead of exploring how all of these might impact vendors’ capabilities to achieve safe, fair, and sustainable livelihoods (Marras, 2018 ; Tiisekwa, 2013 ). Understanding the relationship between access to enabling services, knowledge, and skills is important in order to understand the broader structural or institutional enablers of decent work. For this reason, this study can build upon existing knowledge by exploring the role of access to enabling services and support systems have on informal food vendor’s ability to comprehend decent work principles in Kigamboni Municipality. 2.5 Conceptual Framework According to Fig. 1; the Conceptual Framework represents the ability for informal Food Vendors; to achieve Decent Work is influenced by one or more of the following determinants: Knowledge of the Decent Work Principles, Skills and Competencies; and Access to Services and Supports (i.e. enabling services). The Framework illustrates that when Informal Food Vendors are able to recognise their rights because they have a clear understanding of What Decent Work Standards are, they are more likely to take precautions and utilise Safe Working Practices. When Informal Food Vendors possess adequate skill sets, including but not limited to Food Handling Techniques and Business Management; they enhance their ability to operate in a manner that maintains their productive and dignified quality of Life. Informal Food Vendors who have access to training, finance, infrastructure, and Regulatory Guidance will be able to safely and efficiently operate their business. Therefore, in combination, these related factors will determine whether the Informal Food Vendors are able to access the elements of Decent Work within the context of the Ferry Bus Stand in Kigamboni Municipality. 3. Materials and Methods In order to objectively assess the informal food vendors’ ability to meet decent work standards using a quantitative approach helps researchers identify trends and patterns throughout the specified population for this research (Creswell & Creswell, 2017; Mkama, 2024). A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed as it allowed for a concurrent assessment of the vendor population’s present condition regarding current knowledge, skills and service accessibility (Setia, 2016) and was suitable for assessing vendor capacity to deliver decent work given this was conducted at one point in time. Using 77 female food vendors was necessary for a descriptive study of the exploratory nature in a small, bounded population of the informal sector (Hossan, Dato’Mansor, & Jaharuddin, 2023; Shamsudin, Hassim, & Abd Manaf, 2024). Because of the lack of a formal sampling frame for informal vendors, convenience sampling was used, which is the most common choice regarding informal economy studies due to the researchers relying on available individuals (Etikan, Musa, & Alkassim, 2016; Mkama, 2024). A structured questionnaire with closed-ended response items was used as the instrument to collect data as it will provide the researchers with standardized responses of respondents, which can then be used to perform statistical analyses of the information (Bryman, 2016; Patten, 2016; Krosnick, 2017). The measurement items were taken from the Decent Work Scale (DWS), which was developed by Duffy et al. (2023) and validated to evaluate the following four dimensions: safety, compensation, access to services, and working conditions. The study focused on three domains: (a) Knowledge of Decent Work Principles, (b) Skills and Competencies applicable to food vending (e.g., Hygiene, financial literacy and customer service) and (c) Access to Enabling Services and Support Services (e.g., sanitation, water, health services and municipal support). Variables were measured using Likert-type scales consistent with the earlier research in Decent Kind of Work (Duffy et al., 2023; Mkama, 2024; Taherdoost, 2016; Perera, Nayak, & Nguyen, 2022). The data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations), which is an appropriate method of summing up data in an exploratory study of a non-experimental nature (Saunders, Thornhill, & Lewis, 2018; Watson, 2015; Zhang, Zhang, Pan, Yan, & Gao, 2021; Honein-AbouHaidar et al., 2024; Mwesiga, 2024; Kissoly et al., 2025). Ethical considerations regarding the research sought and followed prior to data collection, including (1) Official Research Permission from the relevant authority in the Kigamboni (Local) Municipality; (2) Obtaining Voluntary Informed Consent from All Participants About Their Participation; (3) Maintaining Confidentiality and Anonymity for Each Participant at All Times During Data Collection Activities (Israel & Hay, 2006; Mkama, 2024). 4. Results 4.1 Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Respondents The socio-demographic characteristics of the 77 informal food vendors are outlined in Table 1. Overall, most of the study's respondents were female (n = 43, 56%), whereas male respondents numbered 34 (44%). The largest age category represented was 26–35 years (n = 32, 42%), followed by 36–45 years (n = 21, 27%), 18–25 years (n = 17, 22%), and 46 years and older (n = 7, 9%). Related to educational level reached, while almost half of the respondents completed secondary-school education (n = 37, 48%), primary education was second (n = 24, 31%), tertiary education (n = 9, 12%), and no school education (n = 7, 9%). Similar to educational level, 40 respondents (52%) had 1-5 years of experience, 23 (30%) had 6-10 years of experience, 8 (10%) had more than 10 years of experience, and 6 (8%) had less than one year of experience. Clearly, these findings provide a profile of the study population. Table 1 Socio-demographic characteristics of informal food vendors (N = 77) Variable Frequency Percentage (%) Gender Male 34 44 Female 43 56 Age Group 18–25 17 22 26–35 32 42 36–45 21 27 46+ 7 9 Education None 7 9 Primary 24 31 Secondary 37 48 Tertiary 9 12 Years of Experience 10 years 8 10 Source: Author’s Construct 4.2 Knowledge of Decent Work Principles among informal food vendors Respondents’ knowledge of decent work principles is shown in Table 2. Most of the vendors had moderate knowledge (n = 42, 55%); 18 respondents (23%) had low knowledge and 17 respondents had high knowledge (22%). These findings suggest that even though the majority of vendors have knowledge of rights at work, social protection, safe working conditions and fair pay, relatively many vendors lack adequate knowledge. Table 2 Knowledge of decent work principles among informal food vendors (N = 77) Knowledge Level Frequency Percentage (%) Low 18 23 Moderate 42 55 High 17 22 Source: Author’s Construct 4.3 Skills and Competencies of informal food vendors Table 3 presents a summary of respondents' skills and competencies. Practical vending skills were the most common competency, with 71 participants (92%) reporting competence in this regard. Customer service skills were also reported by a significant number (n = 67, 87%). Basic financial management skills were primarily reported by 51 respondents (66%). Fewer participants indicated competencies in labor rights awareness (n = 31, 40%), record keeping (n = 29, 38%), or sustainable practices in business (n = 22, 29%); these are areas in which informal food vendors may need support to attain sustainable work outcomes. Table 3 Skills and competencies of informal food vendors (N = 77) Competency/Skill Frequency Percentage (%) Practical food vending skills 71 92 Customer service 67 87 Basic financial management 51 66 Knowledge of labor rights 31 40 Record keeping & documentation 29 38 Sustainable business practices 22 29 Source: Author’s Construct 4.4 Access to Enable Services and Support Systems among informal food vendors Table 4 provides an overview of the enabling services and support systems reported by respondents, in general. The most frequently accessed source of support reported by respondents was informal support (from family and friends). Informal support was reported by 53 respondents (69%). Formal access to financial services (banks, loans) was reported by 21 respondents (27%). Participation in training or workshops was only reported by 19 respondents (25%). Last, 14 respondents (18%) reported enrollment or coverage in any formal social protection program. These responses indicate that participants primarily engaged their personal networks for support, whereas accessing formal enabling services was limited. Table 4 Access to enable services and support systems among informal food vendors (N = 77) Enabling Service/Support System Frequency Percentage (%) Informal support networks (family, peers) 53 69 Formal financial services (banks, loans) 21 27 Training programs/workshops 19 25 Social protection schemes 14 18 Source: Author’s Construct 5. Discussion of the Findings The aim of the study was to explore knowledge of decent work principles, skills and competencies, and access to enabling services associated with informal food vendors. Close examination of the socio-demographic profile illustrated that most of the respondents were female, aged 26–35 years, had completed secondary education, and had 1–5 years of experience as a vendor. This observation is consistent with findings from previous studies that women compose a significant portion of informal vendors in urban settings (Anjaria, 2006; Munishi & Kirumirah, 2020). The larger representation of young adults in this study further suggests that the informal sector represents an important livelihood strategy for individuals in the early and mid-career stages, which is consistent with the labor force patterns articulated in decent work theory (Ghai, 2003). For knowledge of decent work principles, most respondents reported a moderate level of knowledge, with small proportions reporting a high-level of knowledge. This finding suggests that a number of the vendors understood their rights and access to social protection, safe working conditions, and fair remuneration, while the majority of vendors did not report that the knowledge was widespread. Patterns akin to those observed in this study have also been established among informal workers in other contexts with limited access to formal education and vocational training to support their knowledge of labor rights (Mwangi et al., 2020; Kimani et al., 2021). The moderate-level of knowledge reported here can also be understood through the decent work theory lens, which emphasizes informed participation and awareness of labor rights as critical components to achieving productive and quality work (Ghai, 2003; ILO, 2018). Regarding skills and competencies, the skills reported were consistently that of practical vending and customer service skills. This reflects and reinforces the nature of work in which informal work is fundamentally hands-on and relies on experiential learning (Bhowmik, 2007; Meeks, 2017).On the other hand, there were competencies such as knowledge of labor rights, keeping records, and implementing sustainable business practices, which were less common, indicating areas that might inhibit vendors’ ability to obtain results that were meaningful and sustainable for the long run. These findings are consistent with earlier research studies outlining that informal workers often have the operational skills to run a business but often do not have formal business and administrative skills which would help them scale and maintain micro-enterprise (Alene, 2020; Nzibonera & Waggumbulizi, 2020). Access to enabling services and appropriate support systems were mostly skewed to informal networks, with family and peer support being the most utilized resource. Formal financial services, training programs and social protection programs were significantly lower. These findings suggest that informal vendors primarily rely on personal networks for existence of survival of business, which mirrors previous findings and observations in Tanzania and other low- and middle-income countries where formal support structures were either inaccessible, underutilized, or diminished altogether (Ndullah, 2019; Wango et al., 2022). Therefore, from a theoretical perspective the reliance on informal supports connects to social capital theory, which states that personal networks are useful resource types, especially in societal contexts where formal institutions cannot offer same support (Candefjord & Nilsson, 2015). What was surprising to see was the relatively low engagement level in training programs and formal financial services, despite reasonably educated respondents. This suggests that barriers, such as limited awareness, high costs, bureaucratic procedures, or a perception that formal services are irrelevant to their everyday work, are similar to barriers this study found in other studies with informal microenterprises (Raphael & Mrema, 2017; Saha, 2011) may hamper their ability to access formal technology. Overall, the development of focused interventions that promote access to formal programs exists alongside the reinforcement of current informal networks would help enhance the knowledge, skills, and financial resilience of vendors. The findings suggest informal food vendors have strong practical skills but limited knowledge of labor rights and access to formal enabling service opportunities. The findings demonstrate a need for kind of intervention that balances labor rights and business practices training with methods to increase access to formal financing and social assistance. Addressing skills and structural barriers, informal vendors may achieve productive, sustainable and decent work in accordance with international labor standards (Ghai, 2003, ILO, 2018) 6. Implications The findings have implications for policy, practice, and future research. First, the findings underscore the urgent need for capacity-building interventions that improve informal food vendor's knowledge of labor rights, business practices, and sustainable practices to improve their productivity and engagement with decent work. Second, reliance on informal support networks highlights the need to strengthen these networks and expand access to formal services to improve the resources support of vendor community’s resilience. Third, the study offers an evidence-base for policy and development agencies to develop inclusive practice that mitigates both skill barriers and structural barriers in the informal economy, and supports more equitable and sustainable livelihoods in urban areas (Ghai, 2003 ; ILO 2018; Mwangi et al., 2020) 7. Conclusion and Recommendations The findings point out that informal food vendors have strong practical skills, particularly for vending and customer service, moderate knowledge of decent work principles, and limited low level competencies on labor rights, record keeping and sustainable business practices. Access to formal enabling services including financial services, training programs, and social protection, was found to also be low with most vendors relying on informal networks for support. These findings suggest the need for targeted interventions to include increased knowledge of labor rights and environmental` practices, improved access to formal financial and social service support, and provide training that caters to informal work service standards. To promote productive, decent, and sustainable livelihoods in the sector, both policy and development agencies should develop programs that situate formal service provision within the vendor's semi-informal service networks, while municipalities should enable policy that strengthens for improving both capacity and resilience of informal vendors. Declarations Acknowledgment The author express his gratitude to all informal food vendors who participated in this study. Author Contributions Crafted the title, write the manuscript, conducted data collection, data analysis and data interpretation and approval final submission of manuscript. Funding This research has not received any fund from the funding agencies (the government, commercial sectors, not for profit sectors etc.) Availability of Data and Material The data for the current study generated and analyzed but are not publicly available because of ethical obligation and confidentiality related to participant privacy. Competing Interests The author declare that he has no competing interests. Clinical Trial Number : Not Applicable Declaration of Ethics, consent to participate and Consent to publish The ethical approval was obtained from Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy, and verbal informed consent obtained from participants before data collection while consent to publish was not applicable References Alene, E. T. (2020). Determinants that influence the performance of women entrepreneurs in micro and small enterprises in Ethiopia. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship , 9 , 1-20. Anjaria, J. S. (2006). Street hawkers and public space in Mumbai. Economic and Political Weekly, 2140-2146. Bas, M., Ersun, A. S. A., and Divan, G. (2006).The Evaluation of Food Hygiene Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Food Handlers in Food Businesses in Turkey. Food Control, 17(3), 317–322 Bhowmik, S. K. (2007). “Street Vendors in Urban India: The Struggle for Recognition”, in A Morales and J. Cross (Eds.), Street Entrepreneurs: People, Place and Politics, pp 92-107, New York, Routledge. Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods . Oxford university press. Candefjord, L., & Nilsson, L. (2015). Kivukoni Waterfront: public place or neglected space? A design proposal for a harbour area in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. (Master’s thesis). Chukuezi, C. O. (2010). Food safety and hygienic practices of street food vendors in Owerri, Nigeria. Studies in the sociology of science , 1 (1), 50. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications. Donkor, E. S. (2011). Application of the WHO's five keys of food safety to improve food handlers‟s practices as food vendors in poor-income communities in Ghana.Report of University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana. Donkor, E. S. (2011). Application of the WHO's five keys of food safety to improve food handlers‟s practices as food vendors in poor-income communities in Ghana.Report of University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana. Duffy, R. D., Blustein, D. L., Perez, G., & Smith, C. (2023). Psychology of working theory. Etikan, I., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American journal of theoretical and applied statistics, 5(1), 1-4. Food and Agricultural Organization, (2008). Microbiological Risk Assessment Series. Microbiological hazards in fresh leafy vegetables and herbs. Meeting Report. Microbiological Risk Assessment Series No. 14. Rome, Italy Ghai, D. 2003. Decent work: Concept and indicators. International Labour Review, 142: 133–145 Honein-AbouHaidar, G., Hoteit, R., Chehayeb, S., Dumit, N., Avedissian, T., Abdallah, B., & Hamadeh, R. (2024). Community health assessment of needs and continuous empowerment (CHANCE): a quantitative cross-sectional survey targeting primary health care nurses in Lebanon. BMC nursing, 23(1), 927. Hossan, D., Dato’Mansor, Z., & Jaharuddin, N. S. (2023). Research population and sampling in quantitative study. International Journal of Business and Technopreneurship (IJBT), 13(3), 209-222. ILO, UNIDO, UNDP (2002). Roadmap Study of the Informal Sector in Mainland Tanzania. Kannan, K. P., & Papola, T. S. (2007). Workers in the informal sector: Initiatives by India's National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (NCEUS). Int'l Lab. Rev. , 146 , 321. Kissoly, L., Ngassa, C., Norman, F., Rutatora, S., & Aluko, A. (2025). Weekly Food Markets and Access to Nutritious Foods in Rapidly Growing Urban Peripheries: Insights from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. VeriXiv, 2(84), 84. Krosnick, J. A. (2017). Questionnaire design. In The Palgrave handbook of survey research (pp. 439-455). Cham: Springer International Publishing. Marras, S. (2018). Street Food in Tanzania. A Literature Review. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania . Meeks, G. A. (2017). Critical soft skills to achieve success in the workplace (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University). Mkama, S. I. (2024). The Influence of Entrepreneurial Training on Business Performance of Women Food Vendors in Ilala Municipality, Tanzania: Mediating Role of Product Innovation/Service Innovation. RUAHA JOURNAL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (RUJASS), 1. Morris, M. G., Venkatesh, V., & Ackerman, P. L. (2005). Gender and age differences in employee decisions about new technology: An extension to the theory of planned behaviour. IEEE transactions on engineering management, 52(1), 69-84. Munishi, E. J., & Kirumirah, M. (2020). Vendors' licensing and permit issuing in an urban setting: Constraints & Implications for vending operations in Dar es Salaam –Tanzania. Business Education Journal (BEJ), 2(1). Mwesiga, P. Coping Strategies, Covid-19 Impacts and Well-Being of Food Vendors around Bus Stands in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. National Policy on Urban Street Vendors (2004). Also Available at nceus.gov.in/Street%20Vendors%20policy.pdf Ndullah, Z. N. (2019). Assessment Of Social Security Coverage Among Informal Sectors: A Case of Informal Sectors Operating in Kinondoni District (Doctoral dissertation, Mzumbe University). Nyaruhucha, C., Kinabo, J., Kulwa, K., John, J., George, V., and Sillo, L. (2007). Improving the nutritional quality of street foods to better meet the micronutrient needs of schoolchildren in urban areas. Food and Agriculture Organization and Sokoine University. FAO, Rome, Italy. Nzibonera, E., & Waggumbulizi, I. (2020). Loans and growth of small-scale enterprises in Uganda: A case study of Kampala Central business area. African Journal of Business Management, 14(5), 159-169. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJBM2020.8985 Omemu, A. M., and Adereju, S. T. (2008). Food safety knowledge and practices of street food vendors in the city of Abeokuta Nigeria. Journal of Food Control 19(4), 396 – 402. Patten, M. (2016). Questionnaire research: A practical guide. routledge. Perera, C. H., Nayak, R., & Nguyen, L. V. T. (2022). Methodology and methods. In Social media marketing and customer-based brand equity for higher educational institutions: Case of Vietnam and Sri Lanka (pp. 137-168). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. Posta, I., & Prom-Jackson, S. (2015). Evaluation of mainstreaming of full and productive employment and decent work by the United Nations system organizations. Raphael, G., & Mrema, G. I. (2017). Assessing the Role of Microfinance on Women Empowerment: A case of PRIDE (T)-Shinyanga. Business and Economic Research, 7(2), 35-54 Saha, D. (2011). Working life of street vendors in Mumbai. The Indian journal of labour economics , 54 (2), 301-325. Sajilan, S., Hadi, N. U., & Tehseen, S. (2015). Impact of entrepreneur's demographic characteristics and personal characteristics on firm's performance under the mediating role of entrepreneur orientation. Review of integrative business and economics research , 4 (2), 36. Saunders, M.,Thornhill,A. & Lewis, P. (2018) Research Methods for Business Students (8 th Edition). London: Pearson Setia, M. S. (2016). Methodology series module 3: Cross-sectional studies. Indian journal of dermatology, 61(3), 261-264. Shamsudin, M. F., Hassim, A. A., & Abd Manaf, S. (2024). Mastering probability and non-probability methods for accurate research insights. Journal of Postgraduate Current Business Research, 9(1), 38-53. Taherdoost, H. (2016). Validity and reliability of the research instrument; how to test the validation of a questionnaire/survey in a research. International journal of academic research in management (IJARM) , 5 . Tiisekwa, A. B. (2013). Compliance by street salad and juice vendors with national food safety and quality requirements a case of Morogoro municipality, Tanzania (Doctoral dissertation). Tiisekwa, A. B. (2013). Compliance by street salad and juice vendors with national food safety and quality requirements a case of Morogoro municipality, Tanzania (Doctoral dissertation). Wango, N. C., Limbumba, T. M., Msoka, C. T., & Kombe, W. (2022). The Engagement of Informal Social Organisations in Social Security Mobilisation in Tanzania. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review , 5 (7), 212-223. Watson, R. (2015). Quantitative research. Nursing Standard (2014+), 29(31), 44. Zhang, D., Zhang, E., Pan, S., Yan, X., & Gao, W. (2021). Fast quantitative method to detect the cross-sectional loss of wire rope defects. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 70, 1-11. Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8575986","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":572865298,"identity":"4b573284-093b-459b-996a-2a08433c0156","order_by":0,"name":"sunday Isdory Mkama","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA80lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJACCTA6AGR9AGI2dlK0MM4AaWEmTgsDWAszD4hBSIv8jNyDN362WdjzHe99Jm3za5s8HzMD44ePObi1GNzIS7bsbZNInHnmuJl0bt9twzZmBmbJmdvwaJHIMZPgbZNIMLiRxiad23ObEaiFjZkXjxb5GTlmkn/bJOzBWix7btsT1MJwI8dMGmgL4waQFoYftxMJajE488bYWuYcyC/HmC17G24ntzEzNuP1i3x7juHNN2V1wBBrY7zx489t2/ntzQc/fMTnMBBgZANTLBKMbWBuAwH1IPAHTDJ/gDJGwSgYBaNgFKAAANEkTiAYRGC4AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"sunday","middleName":"Isdory","lastName":"Mkama","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-01-11 22:55:14","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":true,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true,"humanSubjectConsent":true,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8575986/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8575986/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":100368477,"identity":"0b708480-f1e9-4002-91ad-e25d099bc2b2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-16 07:58:00","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":50372,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptofDecentWork1.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/69a27898ec884b1df2939d51.docx"},{"id":100161598,"identity":"60c63b24-33de-40a1-8a98-d4ac7d60e63a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-13 15:02:55","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":342,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"rs8575986.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/d4cc942a703739597652640e.json"},{"id":100161607,"identity":"04bce38f-566e-4d00-96cf-bf70b4ff925e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-13 15:02:55","extension":"xml","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":101531,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"rs85759860enriched.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/3debbe4a764337a12ae83dda.xml"},{"id":100161600,"identity":"d871bbd5-5b7f-4c14-98a2-131be7e95e41","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-13 15:02:55","extension":"eps","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":66411,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"drawingimage1.eps","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/470a4cef4760a948d7ae1ded.eps"},{"id":100161601,"identity":"a6f03b5c-7897-486d-ade2-ae5e68d639d5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-13 15:02:55","extension":"eps","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":746,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"drawingimage2.eps","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/0c4c3fa0b982bf553bb87e38.eps"},{"id":100161602,"identity":"26db3e3f-5c67-4f23-a6fc-033f33349b1d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-13 15:02:55","extension":"eps","order_by":5,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":60507,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"drawingimage3.eps","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/3d192cf52679f9fdb3bd7db2.eps"},{"id":100161603,"identity":"612fc782-08e1-4348-af80-9e8dc1a648cf","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-13 15:02:55","extension":"eps","order_by":6,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":62300,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"drawingimage4.eps","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/ae515a37271a364632ee50cd.eps"},{"id":100161604,"identity":"f9b92017-ac80-463f-a3be-eab976af74b8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-13 15:02:55","extension":"eps","order_by":7,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":596,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"drawingimage5.eps","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/4cf34e347eda785a8580859c.eps"},{"id":100161605,"identity":"6605af61-df20-4efa-9029-192e721f2698","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-13 15:02:55","extension":"eps","order_by":8,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":118834,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"drawingimage6.eps","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/6781fa2d4f11843a55e4ba7f.eps"},{"id":100369332,"identity":"5b5c5bea-f532-49de-a83a-3381fb67580d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-16 07:58:55","extension":"xml","order_by":9,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":98566,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"rs85759860structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/7c8acbebdb445b28a6cc399d.xml"},{"id":100161606,"identity":"4cab8a7d-79cb-4dd5-8f01-ee625d342710","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-13 15:02:55","extension":"html","order_by":10,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":108221,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/7b6de92abd0293b50223ae4c.html"},{"id":100161597,"identity":"cf408293-6b0b-4b68-b3d0-dd129a313eb0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-13 15:02:55","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":20152,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConceptual Framework\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSource: Author’s Construct\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/c78d95e3ab996f88838cc876.png"},{"id":100382665,"identity":"c1896b22-d461-4965-b8cc-c9c120ea744b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-16 10:43:37","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":884946,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8575986/v1/5f690762-fe16-411a-8ed3-36b34949a5f6.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAssessing the Capabilities of Informal Food Vendors to Achieve Decent Work: Evidence from Ferry Bus Stand, Kigamboni Municipality, Tanzania\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eDecent work is a fundamental component of inclusive and sustainable development. The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines decent work as opportunities of productive work (whether in formal or informal sectors) that guarantee fair incomes, security in the workplace, and social protection for all workers (Ghai, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e; Posta \u0026amp; Prom-Jackson, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). It is not only a foremost human right but is also the driving force toward achieving economic and social progress, as it is a means to escape poverty. Still, despite progress being made globally, millions of workers are still stuck in unstable and informal employment, particularly in developing regions, and are excluded from the benefits of decent work.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe informal economy accounts for a significant share of labor markets in the developing world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where it constitutes the majority of available employment (ILO, UNIDO, \u0026amp; UNDP, 2002). Within the informal economy are many subsectors, and one subsector that has become more visible is informal food vendors, which are critical sources of income for low-income urban populations (Bhowmik, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e). Street food vendors are important contributors to urban food systems, providing affordable and easily accessible meals to tens of millions of people. However, these vendors are undervalued, and often excluded from urban policy review, and are not integrated within decisions related to formal regulatory protection, or social dialogue (Anjaria, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e; Kannan \u0026amp; Papola, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWithin many developing cities, food vendors operate within precarious working conditions, coupled with poor access to basic services and little institutional support (Donkor, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Omemu \u0026amp; Adereju, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). Access to adequate sanitation, poor infrastructure, and lack of formal recognition leads food vendors, generally, to be economically vulnerable, and exposed to health risks (Saha, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Bas et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e).These issues continue to exist despite the considerable economic and social contributions of vendors. As a result, the challenge of enabling informal vendors to achieve decent and dignified work remains an ongoing issue for both policymakers and urban planners.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Tanzania, the informal food vending sector is a significant means of self-employment and urban livelihood, especially in fast-growing municipalities, such as Kigamboni (Marras, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Vendors often work in crowded, dirty, and unregulated locations and usually do not have access to credit, training or safety facilities (Munishi \u0026amp; Kirumirah, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The situation at Ferry Bus Stand in Kigamboni reinforces the broader issues due to uncertainty, low income from vending, and limited institutional support faced by food vendors (Candefjord \u0026amp; Nilsson, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). These factors constrain their capacity to fulfill the conditions of decent work and facilitate stable livelihoods.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite the acknowledged importance of informal vending in urban economies, an empirical understanding of the capabilities of vendors to attain decent work opportunities is limited in Tanzania. A range of provision issues exists when vendors lack knowledge of labor rights, entrepreneurial skills, and fundamental enabling services such as financial enablement, sanitation, and training (Donkor, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Alene, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The absence of capability limits their agency for improving working conditions and the prospects of attaining economic benefits. It is important to address these issues, not only to promote social protection and labor rights but also to realize Sustainable Development Goal 8 decent work and economic growth.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConsequently, this research has been developed to examine the capabilities of informal food vendors to achieve decent work in the context of the Ferry Bus Stand in Kigamboni Municipality. and competencies for earning a decent living and access to enabling services and support systems. By blending the ILO Decent Work Agenda with the Capability Approach, the study will contribute new knowledge on the role that both individual agency and institutional support play in producing work outcomes in the informal sector. The findings are expected to provide local authorities and policymakers, as well as development partners with strategies to strengthen the dignity, productivity, and sustainability of informal urban livelihoods in Tanzania.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Literature Review","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.1 Theoretical Literature Review\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe International Labour Organization (1999) introduced the ILO Decent Work Framework as a holistic approach to ensuring that all workers have work that is productive, fair, and secure to support their livelihoods (Ghai, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e; Posta \u0026amp; Prom-Jackson, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). In short, the framework addresses four key pillars of decent work: (1) employment creation, (2) rights at work, (3) social protection, and (4) social dialogue. The important issues surrounding decent work are fair incomes, safe working conditions, access to social security, and participation in decision making at work (Ghai, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e). Indicators identifying variables such as job choice, respect for rights at work, income justice and fairness, and social security are critical to evaluating the quality of work in the various sectors.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe ILO framework\u0026apos;s relevance to this study is its focus on quality, conditions, and work within informal contexts, e.g. food vending, in an urban Tanzania (ILO, UNIDO \u0026amp; UNDP, 2002; Marras, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).The framework provides a normative standard to evaluate whether informal workers have fair, safe, and secure livelihoods by linking vendor knowledge, skills, and access to services with the four pillars of decent work. In practical terms, it allows for the identification of gaps between existing work arrangements and the well-established criteria for decent work, filling a general knowledge gap on informal economy participation studies and worker offerings. As such, it is a highly applicable framework in guiding the phases of data collection, analysis, and interpretation efforts in order to assess the capabilities and constraints worker food vendors experience at the Ferry Bus Stand in Kigamboni Municipality.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe ILO Decent Work Framework has been utilized in sociology, economics, public health scope, and in development studies with a view to better understand labor quality, social protection, and inclusion in the workforce (Posta \u0026amp; Prom-Jackson, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Ndullah \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Raphael \u0026amp; Mrema \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Based on the previous studies of informal sector workers, the framework has been used independently and in tandem with other theoretical perspectives, like the Capability Approach, to reflect on how human and structural variables impact job outcomes (Ghai, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e; Alene, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Researchers have used it in testing framework variables quantitatively or as a conceptual lens in support of qualitative findings to better understand labor rights and public health issues in relation to work environment safety, and income security (Bhowmik, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e; Marras, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).Few, if any, studies have systematically applied this framework to informal food vendors in Tanzania, making it an important tool for examining how knowledge, skills, and service access enable or limit informal workers and their potential attainment of decent work standards in urban informal contexts.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.2 Knowledge of Decent Work Principles of Informal Food Vendors\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eKnowledge of decent work principles is defined by worker awareness and comprehension of equitable work practices, rights in the workplace, social protection, and safe working conditions (Ghai, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e; Posta \u0026amp; Prom-Jackson, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) and is central in determining whether informal workers can access opportunities for equitable income, job security, and safe and healthy working conditions. For street food vendors, this knowledge includes although is not limited to their understanding of labor rights, as well as practical knowledge around OHS (occupational health safety) and food safety standards (Bas et al., \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). Knowledge is typically measured in research through structured questionnaires, interviews, and/or surveys that determine how familiar workers are with laws, regulations, or safe work practices.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThere is some evidence from international contexts suggesting that informal vendors have limited knowledge of their rights and obligations at work. In Nigeria, Omemu and Adereju (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e) determined that vendors of street foods were unaware of occupational safety and food hygiene regulations, which put their workers and consumers at risk. Donkor (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) also observed this pattern in Ghana, where vendors with lesser degrees of revealed food safety knowledge were participating in unsafe behaviors.Most of these investigations used quantitative survey techniques for direct measurements of knowledge levels and to highlight the important link between being aware of a situation and adopting safe work practices.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eResearch conducted in Tanzania complements the international literature by drawing attention to the gaps in vendors\u0026rsquo; knowledge of decent work principles. Tiisekwa (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e) demonstrated that salad and juice vendors in the Morogoro municipality had limited knowledge of the national food safety and labor laws, which adversely impacted their compliance with those legal requirements while conducting their operations. Marras (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) also indicated that many street food vendors working within urban settings had not received any formal training and were unaware of their labor rights and perceived this as a systemic issue that excluded urban street food vendors from policy frameworks. However, these studies used descriptive surveys and interviews to verify that limited knowledge of decent work principles led to informal vendors\u0026apos; inability to meet acceptable work standards.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNevertheless, there is a dearth of research conducted in Tanzania to establish a direct link between knowledge of decent work principles to informal food vendors\u0026rsquo; overall ability to achieve decent work. While both of these studies discussed vendor knowledge, they were externally focused on food handling hygiene and whether regulations were being abided with, ignoring the broader aspects of decent work principles in the ILO (Ghai, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e). It may be more relevant to undertake knowledge analysis from a broader aspect rather than focusing solely on food hygiene, and incorporating elements such as their workers\u0026apos; rights, fairness of income, and risk of exposure to workplace hazards. Knowledge and information examples can help form the basis by which causal intervention strategies could be designed to create a tangible impact on informal food vendors\u0026rsquo; capabilities in Kigamboni Municipality.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.3 The Skills and Competences of Informal Food Vendors\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSkills and competencies are the abilities and practical knowledge (capabilities) that allow people to perform tasks, make decisions, and be productive (Meeks, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). In a food vendor context, skill sets and competencies include entrepreneurial sets or skills, food handling skills, customer service skills, and financial responsibility in managing aspects of food transactions. Competencies could also include problem-solving skill sets, flexible skill sets to be able to adapt to dynamic market conditions, and skill interactions to comply with health and safety policies (Bas, et al, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). Measurement of the informal vendor\u0026rsquo;s skills often occurs through the use of surveys, observations, and/or structured assessments that are used to assess the vendor\u0026rsquo;s skill in managing operations and meet established quality standards.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGlobal research provides evidence that informal vendors may have basic entrepreneurial skills but have not had the opportunity for formal training that would allow them to maximize productivity and to be compliant. For example, in India, Bhowmik (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e) observed that street vendors relied on their personal life experience in business management; however, without formal skills, they had little ability for growth or safe operation. Similarly, Anjaria (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e) found that street hawkers in Mumbai have difficulty managing their limited permits, keeping food sources at proper hygiene levels, and adapting their business strategies to adjust for changes in vendors\u0026apos; flexible services. These studies emphasize that practical skills are vital for the sustainability of livelihoods and obtaining safe, equitable, and productive work opportunities in the informal economy.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLocal studies conducted in Tanzania emphasize similar gaps to urban food vendors in other developing countries in the world. For instance, Tiisekwa (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e) found that food vendors who sold salads and juices in Morogoro did not possess basic food hygiene, nutrition, or waste management skills that would allow them to comply with regulations and keep their food operations viable. Marras (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) reported other vendors struggled with minimal education and training in entrepreneurial thinking or customer service. Lack of skills limits vendors\u0026rsquo; growth opportunities and abilities to adhere to decent work standards. Collectively, these findings underscore the importance of skill enhancement and development for informal vendors to acquire capabilities that would allow them to achieve decent, safe and sustainable work.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhile, previous research illustrates the importance of skills, few have attempted to systematically investigate informal food vendors\u0026apos; skills to assess the relationship between their knowledge, skills, and competencies and their ability to achieve broad dimensions of decent work as defined by the ILO. Most articles focus specifically on their food hygiene or business technical skills, while ignoring their soft skills and capabilities around decision-making that would support viable livelihoods (Meeks, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Alene, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Investigating the whole range of skills and competencies from the perspective of the vendor adds more insight into how vendors\u0026apos; agency and skills enable them to navigate structural and institutional barriers. Understanding these interactions and systems in Kigamboni Municipality adds to the emerging body of literature on the role of skills in forming informal vendor\u0026apos;s capacity to meet larger decent work standards.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4 Access to Enabling Services and Support Systems among Informal Food Vendors\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe ability to access enabling services and support systems is the presence and utilization of institutional, financial and social resources that allows individuals to participate in work in a safe, productive, and sustainable manner (Ghai, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e; Posta \u0026amp; Prom-Jackson, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). For informal food vendors, this would include things such as training programs, financial credit, sanitation infrastructure, licensing, and municipal support. These resources are important to build vendors\u0026rsquo; capacities to operate, secure their livelihoods, and conform to health and safety standards. Access is measured typically using surveys or interviews to determine availability, use, and perceived sufficiency of these service systems.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInternational literature highlights how limited access to services is a major restraint to achieving decent work for informal workers. For example, in Uganda, Nzibonera and Waggumbulizi (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) showed that small-scale entrepreneurs often struggle to expand their businesses and stay operational where there are barriers to microfinance and practical training. Similarly, Saha (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) found that street vendors in Mumbai were unable to secure permits, legality, and municipal services which impacted their working conditions and income security. Overall, these studies suggest access to enabling services is an essential precondition for informal worker to achieve safe, fair, productive lives.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLocal studies have shown similar patterns of access issues for food vendors in Tanzania. For instance, Munishi and Kirumirah (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) found that food vendors, in Dar es Salaam, experienced barriers to acquiring licenses, municipal support, and sanitation facilities which prevented vendors from being able to meet compliance and work under decent conditions. Wango et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) found that while informal social organizations have been instrumental in bridging gaps in social protection, and some degree of access to finance regarding food vendors, many did not substantially benefit from these services. Collectively these studies show how enabling services and support from institutions is unevenly available to informal vendors, which means they are less able to operate safely or with sustainable income.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn spite of recognizing the importance of enabling services, there have only been a few substantial studies conducted in Tanzania that examine how access to services, in conjunction with vendors\u0026rsquo; knowledge and skills, facilitated decent work outcomes. Most studies have isolated one aspect of decent work, such as microfinance, licensing, or sanitation, instead of exploring how all of these might impact vendors\u0026rsquo; capabilities to achieve safe, fair, and sustainable livelihoods (Marras, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Tiisekwa, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). Understanding the relationship between access to enabling services, knowledge, and skills is important in order to understand the broader structural or institutional enablers of decent work. For this reason, this study can build upon existing knowledge by exploring the role of access to enabling services and support systems have on informal food vendor\u0026rsquo;s ability to comprehend decent work principles in Kigamboni Municipality.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.5 Conceptual Framework\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAccording to Fig.\u0026nbsp;1; the Conceptual Framework represents the ability for informal Food Vendors; to achieve Decent Work is influenced by one or more of the following determinants: Knowledge of the Decent Work Principles, Skills and Competencies; and Access to Services and Supports (i.e. enabling services). The Framework illustrates that when Informal Food Vendors are able to recognise their rights because they have a clear understanding of What Decent Work Standards are, they are more likely to take precautions and utilise Safe Working Practices. When Informal Food Vendors possess adequate skill sets, including but not limited to Food Handling Techniques and Business Management; they enhance their ability to operate in a manner that maintains their productive and dignified quality of Life. Informal Food Vendors who have access to training, finance, infrastructure, and Regulatory Guidance will be able to safely and efficiently operate their business. Therefore, in combination, these related factors will determine whether the Informal Food Vendors are able to access the elements of Decent Work within the context of the Ferry Bus Stand in Kigamboni Municipality.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn order to objectively assess the informal food vendors’ ability to meet decent work standards using a quantitative approach helps researchers identify trends and patterns throughout the specified population for this research (Creswell \u0026amp; Creswell, 2017; Mkama, 2024). A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed as it allowed for a concurrent assessment of the vendor population’s present condition regarding current knowledge, skills and service accessibility (Setia, 2016) and was suitable for assessing vendor capacity to deliver decent work given this was conducted at one point in time. Using 77 female food vendors was necessary for a descriptive study of the exploratory nature in a small, bounded population of the informal sector (Hossan, Dato’Mansor, \u0026amp; Jaharuddin, 2023; Shamsudin, Hassim, \u0026amp; Abd Manaf, 2024). Because of the lack of a formal sampling frame for informal vendors, convenience sampling was used, which is the most common choice regarding informal economy studies due to the researchers relying on available individuals (Etikan, Musa, \u0026amp; Alkassim, 2016; Mkama, 2024).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA structured questionnaire with closed-ended response items was used as the instrument to collect data as it will provide the researchers with standardized responses of respondents, which can then be used to perform statistical analyses of the information (Bryman, 2016; Patten, 2016; Krosnick, 2017). The measurement items were taken from the Decent Work Scale (DWS), which was developed by Duffy et al. (2023) and validated to evaluate the following four dimensions: safety, compensation, access to services, and working conditions. The study focused on three domains: (a) Knowledge of Decent Work Principles, (b) Skills and Competencies applicable to food vending (e.g., Hygiene, financial literacy and customer service) and (c) Access to Enabling Services and Support Services (e.g., sanitation, water, health services and municipal support). Variables were measured using Likert-type scales consistent with the earlier research in Decent Kind of Work (Duffy et al., 2023; Mkama, 2024; Taherdoost, 2016; Perera, Nayak, \u0026amp; Nguyen, 2022).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations), which is an appropriate method of summing up data in an exploratory study of a non-experimental nature (Saunders, Thornhill, \u0026amp; Lewis, 2018; Watson, 2015; Zhang, Zhang, Pan, Yan, \u0026amp; Gao, 2021; Honein-AbouHaidar et al., 2024; Mwesiga, 2024; Kissoly et al., 2025). Ethical considerations regarding the research sought and followed prior to data collection, including (1) Official Research Permission from the relevant authority in the Kigamboni (Local) Municipality; (2) Obtaining Voluntary Informed Consent from All Participants About Their Participation; (3) Maintaining Confidentiality and Anonymity for Each Participant at All Times During Data Collection Activities (Israel \u0026amp; Hay, 2006; Mkama, 2024).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4. Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e4.1 Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Respondents\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe socio-demographic characteristics of the 77 informal food vendors are outlined in Table 1. Overall, most of the study\u0026apos;s respondents were female (n = 43, 56%), whereas male respondents numbered 34 (44%). The largest age category represented was 26\u0026ndash;35 years (n = 32, 42%), followed by 36\u0026ndash;45 years (n = 21, 27%), 18\u0026ndash;25 years (n = 17, 22%), and 46 years and older (n = 7, 9%). Related to educational level reached, while almost half of the respondents completed secondary-school education (n = 37, 48%), primary education was second (n = 24, 31%), tertiary education (n = 9, 12%), and no school education (n = 7, 9%). Similar to educational level, 40 respondents (52%) had 1-5 years of experience, 23 (30%) had 6-10 years of experience, 8 (10%) had more than 10 years of experience, and 6 (8%) had less than one year of experience. Clearly, these findings provide a profile of the study population.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSocio-demographic characteristics of informal food vendors (N = 77)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVariable\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrequency\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePercentage (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAge Group\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18\u0026ndash;25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;35\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e42\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e36\u0026ndash;45\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46+\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEducation\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNone\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePrimary\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSecondary\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e48\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTertiary\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYears of Experience\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;1 year\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u0026ndash;5 years\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e52\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6\u0026ndash;10 years\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;10 years\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 33px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSource: Author\u0026rsquo;s Construct\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e4.2 Knowledge of Decent Work Principles among informal food vendors\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRespondents\u0026rsquo; knowledge of decent work principles is shown in Table 2. Most of the vendors had moderate knowledge (n = 42, 55%); 18 respondents (23%) had low knowledge and 17 respondents had high knowledge (22%). These findings suggest that even though the majority of vendors have knowledge of rights at work, social protection, safe working conditions and fair pay, relatively many vendors lack adequate knowledge.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eKnowledge of decent work principles among informal food vendors (N = 77)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKnowledge Level\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 24px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrequency\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 35px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePercentage (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLow\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 24px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 35px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eModerate\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 24px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e42\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 35px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 24px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 35px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSource: Author\u0026rsquo;s Construct \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e4.3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSkills and Competencies of informal food vendors\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 3 presents a summary of respondents\u0026apos; skills and competencies. Practical vending skills were the most common competency, with 71 participants (92%) reporting competence in this regard. Customer service skills were also reported by a significant number (n = 67, 87%). Basic financial management skills were primarily reported by 51 respondents (66%). Fewer participants indicated competencies in labor rights awareness (n = 31, 40%), record keeping (n = 29, 38%), or sustainable practices in business (n = 22, 29%); these are areas in which informal food vendors may need support to attain sustainable work outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSkills and competencies of informal food vendors (N = 77)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompetency/Skill\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrequency\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 26px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePercentage (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePractical food vending skills\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e71\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 26px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e92\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCustomer service\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e67\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 26px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e87\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBasic financial management\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e51\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 26px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e66\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eKnowledge of labor rights\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 26px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRecord keeping \u0026amp; documentation\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 26px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSustainable business practices\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 26px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSource: Author\u0026rsquo;s Construct \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e4.4 Access to Enable Services and Support Systems among informal food vendors\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 4 provides an overview of the enabling services and support systems reported by respondents, in general. The most frequently accessed source of support reported by respondents was informal support (from family and friends). Informal support was reported by 53 respondents (69%). Formal access to financial services (banks, loans) was reported by 21 respondents (27%). Participation in training or workshops was only reported by 19 respondents (25%). Last, 14 respondents (18%) reported enrollment or coverage in any formal social protection program. These responses indicate that participants primarily engaged their personal networks for support, whereas accessing formal enabling services was limited.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 4\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eAccess to enable services and support systems among informal food vendors (N = 77)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEnabling Service/Support System\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 16px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrequency\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePercentage (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInformal support networks (family, peers)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 16px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e53\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e69\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFormal financial services (banks, loans)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 16px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTraining programs/workshops\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 16px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSocial protection schemes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 16px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSource: Author\u0026rsquo;s Construct \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5.\tDiscussion of the Findings","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe aim of the study was to explore knowledge of decent work principles, skills and competencies, and access to enabling services associated with informal food vendors. Close examination of the socio-demographic profile illustrated that most of the respondents were female, aged 26–35 years, had completed secondary education, and had 1–5 years of experience as a vendor. This observation is consistent with findings from previous studies that women compose a significant portion of informal vendors in urban settings (Anjaria, 2006; Munishi \u0026amp; Kirumirah, 2020). The larger representation of young adults in this study further suggests that the informal sector represents an important livelihood strategy for individuals in the early and mid-career stages, which is consistent with the labor force patterns articulated in decent work theory (Ghai, 2003).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor knowledge of decent work principles, most respondents reported a moderate level of knowledge, with small proportions reporting a high-level of knowledge. This finding suggests that a number of the vendors understood their rights and access to social protection, safe working conditions, and fair remuneration, while the majority of vendors did not report that the knowledge was widespread. Patterns akin to those observed in this study have also been established among informal workers in other contexts with limited access to formal education and vocational training to support their knowledge of labor rights (Mwangi et al., 2020; Kimani et al., 2021). The moderate-level of knowledge reported here can also be understood through the decent work theory lens, which emphasizes informed participation and awareness of labor rights as critical components to achieving productive and quality work (Ghai, 2003; ILO, 2018).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRegarding skills and competencies, the skills reported were consistently that of practical vending and customer service skills. This reflects and reinforces the nature of work in which informal work is fundamentally hands-on and relies on experiential learning (Bhowmik, 2007; Meeks, 2017).On the other hand, there were competencies such as knowledge of labor rights, keeping records, and implementing sustainable business practices, which were less common, indicating areas that might inhibit vendors’ ability to obtain results that were meaningful and sustainable for the long run. These findings are consistent with earlier research studies outlining that informal workers often have the operational skills to run a business but often do not have formal business and administrative skills which would help them scale and maintain micro-enterprise (Alene, 2020; Nzibonera \u0026amp; Waggumbulizi, 2020).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccess to enabling services and appropriate support systems were mostly skewed to informal networks, with family and peer support being the most utilized resource. Formal financial services, training programs and social protection programs were significantly lower. These findings suggest that informal vendors primarily rely on personal networks for existence of survival of business, which mirrors previous findings and observations in Tanzania and other low- and middle-income countries where formal support structures were either inaccessible, underutilized, or diminished altogether (Ndullah, 2019; Wango et al., 2022). Therefore, from a theoretical perspective the reliance on informal supports connects to social capital theory, which states that personal networks are useful resource types, especially in societal contexts where formal institutions cannot offer same support (Candefjord \u0026amp; Nilsson, 2015).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat was surprising to see was the relatively low engagement level in training programs and formal financial services, despite reasonably educated respondents. This suggests that barriers, such as limited awareness, high costs, bureaucratic procedures, or a perception that formal services are irrelevant to their everyday work, are similar to barriers this study found in other studies with informal microenterprises (Raphael \u0026amp; Mrema, 2017; Saha, 2011) may hamper their ability to access formal technology. Overall, the development of focused interventions that promote access to formal programs exists alongside the reinforcement of current informal networks would help enhance the knowledge, skills, and financial resilience of vendors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe findings suggest informal food vendors have strong practical skills but limited knowledge of labor rights and access to formal enabling service opportunities. The findings demonstrate a need for kind of intervention that balances labor rights and business practices training with methods to increase access to formal financing and social assistance. Addressing skills and structural barriers, informal vendors may achieve productive, sustainable and decent work in accordance with international labor standards (Ghai, 2003, ILO, 2018)\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"6. Implications","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe findings have implications for policy, practice, and future research. First, the findings underscore the urgent need for capacity-building interventions that improve informal food vendor's knowledge of labor rights, business practices, and sustainable practices to improve their productivity and engagement with decent work. Second, reliance on informal support networks highlights the need to strengthen these networks and expand access to formal services to improve the resources support of vendor community\u0026rsquo;s resilience. Third, the study offers an evidence-base for policy and development agencies to develop inclusive practice that mitigates both skill barriers and structural barriers in the informal economy, and supports more equitable and sustainable livelihoods in urban areas (Ghai, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e; ILO 2018; Mwangi et al., 2020)\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"7. Conclusion and Recommendations","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe findings point out that informal food vendors have strong practical skills, particularly for vending and customer service, moderate knowledge of decent work principles, and limited low level competencies on labor rights, record keeping and sustainable business practices. Access to formal enabling services including financial services, training programs, and social protection, was found to also be low with most vendors relying on informal networks for support. These findings suggest the need for targeted interventions to include increased knowledge of labor rights and environmental` practices, improved access to formal financial and social service support, and provide training that caters to informal work service standards. To promote productive, decent, and sustainable livelihoods in the sector, both policy and development agencies should develop programs that situate formal service provision within the vendor's semi-informal service networks, while municipalities should enable policy that strengthens for improving both capacity and resilience of informal vendors.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgment\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author express his gratitude to all informal food vendors who participated in this study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor Contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCrafted the title, write the manuscript, conducted data collection, data analysis and data interpretation and approval final submission of manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research has not received any fund from the funding agencies (the government, commercial sectors, not for profit sectors etc.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of Data and Material\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data for the current study generated and analyzed but are not publicly available because of ethical obligation and confidentiality related to participant privacy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting Interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author declare that he has no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClinical Trial Number\u003c/strong\u003e: Not Applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDeclaration of Ethics, consent to participate and Consent to publish\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ethical approval was obtained from Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy, and verbal informed consent obtained from participants before data collection while consent to publish was not applicable\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlene, E. T. (2020). Determinants that influence the performance of women entrepreneurs in micro and small enterprises in Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e9\u003c/em\u003e, 1-20.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnjaria, J. S. (2006). Street hawkers and public space in Mumbai. Economic and Political Weekly, 2140-2146.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBas, M., Ersun, A. S. A., and Divan, G. (2006).The Evaluation of Food Hygiene Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Food Handlers in Food Businesses in Turkey. Food Control, 17(3), 317\u0026ndash;322\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBhowmik, S. K. (2007). \u0026ldquo;Street Vendors in Urban India: The Struggle for Recognition\u0026rdquo;, in A Morales and J. Cross (Eds.), Street Entrepreneurs: People, Place and Politics, pp 92-107, New York, Routledge.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBryman, A. (2016). \u003cem\u003eSocial research methods\u003c/em\u003e. Oxford university press.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCandefjord, L., \u0026amp; Nilsson, L. (2015). Kivukoni Waterfront: public place or neglected space? A design proposal for a harbour area in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. (Master\u0026rsquo;s thesis).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChukuezi, C. O. (2010). Food safety and hygienic practices of street food vendors in Owerri, Nigeria. \u003cem\u003eStudies in the sociology of science\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e1\u003c/em\u003e(1), 50.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreswell, J. W., \u0026amp; Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDonkor, E. S. (2011). Application of the WHO\u0026apos;s five keys of food safety to improve food handlers‟s practices as food vendors in poor-income communities in Ghana.Report of University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDonkor, E. S. (2011). Application of the WHO\u0026apos;s five keys of food safety to improve food handlers‟s practices as food vendors in poor-income communities in Ghana.Report of University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDuffy, R. D., Blustein, D. L., Perez, G., \u0026amp; Smith, C. (2023). Psychology of working theory.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEtikan, I., Musa, S. A., \u0026amp; Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American journal of theoretical and applied statistics, 5(1), 1-4.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFood and Agricultural Organization, (2008). Microbiological Risk Assessment Series. Microbiological hazards in fresh leafy vegetables and herbs. Meeting Report. Microbiological Risk Assessment Series No. 14. Rome, Italy\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGhai, D. 2003. Decent work: Concept and indicators. International Labour Review, 142: 133\u0026ndash;145\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHonein-AbouHaidar, G., Hoteit, R., Chehayeb, S., Dumit, N., Avedissian, T., Abdallah, B., \u0026amp; Hamadeh, R. (2024). Community health assessment of needs and continuous empowerment (CHANCE): a quantitative cross-sectional survey targeting primary health care nurses in Lebanon. BMC nursing, 23(1), 927.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHossan, D., Dato\u0026rsquo;Mansor, Z., \u0026amp; Jaharuddin, N. S. (2023). Research population and sampling in quantitative study. International Journal of Business and Technopreneurship (IJBT), 13(3), 209-222.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eILO, UNIDO, UNDP (2002). Roadmap Study of the Informal Sector in Mainland Tanzania.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKannan, K. P., \u0026amp; Papola, T. S. (2007). Workers in the informal sector: Initiatives by India\u0026apos;s National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (NCEUS). \u003cem\u003eInt\u0026apos;l Lab. Rev.\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e146\u003c/em\u003e, 321.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKissoly, L., Ngassa, C., Norman, F., Rutatora, S., \u0026amp; Aluko, A. (2025). Weekly Food Markets and Access to Nutritious Foods in Rapidly Growing Urban Peripheries: Insights from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. VeriXiv, 2(84), 84.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKrosnick, J. A. (2017). Questionnaire design. In The Palgrave handbook of survey research (pp. 439-455). Cham: Springer International Publishing.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMarras, S. (2018). Street Food in Tanzania. \u003cem\u003eA Literature Review. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMeeks, G. A. (2017). \u003cem\u003eCritical soft skills to achieve success in the workplace\u003c/em\u003e (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMkama, S. I. (2024). The Influence of Entrepreneurial Training on Business Performance of Women Food Vendors in Ilala Municipality, Tanzania: Mediating Role of Product Innovation/Service Innovation. RUAHA JOURNAL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (RUJASS), 1.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMorris, M. G., Venkatesh, V., \u0026amp; Ackerman, P. L. (2005). Gender and age differences in employee decisions about new technology: An extension to the theory of planned behaviour. IEEE transactions on engineering management, 52(1), 69-84.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMunishi, E. J., \u0026amp; Kirumirah, M. (2020). Vendors\u0026apos; licensing and permit issuing in an urban setting: Constraints \u0026amp; Implications for vending operations in Dar es Salaam \u0026ndash;Tanzania. Business Education Journal (BEJ), 2(1).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMwesiga, P. Coping Strategies, Covid-19 Impacts and Well-Being of Food Vendors around Bus Stands in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNational Policy on Urban Street Vendors (2004). Also Available at nceus.gov.in/Street%20Vendors%20policy.pdf\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNdullah, Z. N. (2019). \u003cem\u003eAssessment Of Social Security Coverage Among Informal Sectors: A Case of Informal Sectors Operating in Kinondoni District\u003c/em\u003e (Doctoral dissertation, Mzumbe University).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNyaruhucha, C., Kinabo, J., Kulwa, K., John, J., George, V., and Sillo, L. (2007). Improving the nutritional quality of street foods to better meet the micronutrient needs of schoolchildren in urban areas. Food and Agriculture Organization and Sokoine University. FAO, Rome, Italy.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNzibonera, E., \u0026amp; Waggumbulizi, I. (2020). Loans and growth of small-scale enterprises in Uganda: A case study of Kampala Central business area. African Journal of Business Management, 14(5), 159-169. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJBM2020.8985\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOmemu, A. M., and Adereju, S. T. (2008). Food safety knowledge and practices of street food vendors in the city of Abeokuta Nigeria. Journal of Food Control 19(4), 396 \u0026ndash; 402.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePatten, M. (2016). Questionnaire research: A practical guide. routledge.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePerera, C. H., Nayak, R., \u0026amp; Nguyen, L. V. T. (2022). Methodology and methods. In Social media marketing and customer-based brand equity for higher educational institutions: Case of Vietnam and Sri Lanka (pp. 137-168). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePosta, I., \u0026amp; Prom-Jackson, S. (2015). Evaluation of mainstreaming of full and productive employment and decent work by the United Nations system organizations.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRaphael, G., \u0026amp; Mrema, G. I. (2017). Assessing the Role of Microfinance on Women Empowerment: A case of PRIDE (T)-Shinyanga. Business and Economic Research, 7(2), 35-54\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSaha, D. (2011). Working life of street vendors in Mumbai. \u003cem\u003eThe Indian journal of labour economics\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e54\u003c/em\u003e(2), 301-325.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSajilan, S., Hadi, N. U., \u0026amp; Tehseen, S. (2015). Impact of entrepreneur\u0026apos;s demographic characteristics and personal characteristics on firm\u0026apos;s performance under the mediating role of entrepreneur orientation. \u003cem\u003eReview of integrative business and economics research\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e4\u003c/em\u003e(2), 36.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSaunders, M.,Thornhill,A. \u0026amp; Lewis, P. (2018) Research Methods for Business Students (8\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e Edition). London: Pearson\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSetia, M. S. (2016). Methodology series module 3: Cross-sectional studies. Indian journal of dermatology, 61(3), 261-264.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShamsudin, M. F., Hassim, A. A., \u0026amp; Abd Manaf, S. (2024). Mastering probability and non-probability methods for accurate research insights. Journal of Postgraduate Current Business Research, 9(1), 38-53.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTaherdoost, H. (2016). Validity and reliability of the research instrument; how to test the validation of a questionnaire/survey in a research. \u003cem\u003eInternational journal of academic research in management (IJARM)\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e5\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTiisekwa, A. B. (2013). Compliance by street salad and juice vendors with national food safety and quality requirements a case of Morogoro municipality, Tanzania (Doctoral dissertation).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTiisekwa, A. B. (2013). \u003cem\u003eCompliance by street salad and juice vendors with national food safety and quality requirements a case of Morogoro municipality, Tanzania\u003c/em\u003e (Doctoral dissertation).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWango, N. C., Limbumba, T. M., Msoka, C. T., \u0026amp; Kombe, W. (2022). The Engagement of Informal Social Organisations in Social Security Mobilisation in Tanzania. \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Social Science Research and Review\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e5\u003c/em\u003e(7), 212-223.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWatson, R. (2015). Quantitative research. Nursing Standard (2014+), 29(31), 44.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZhang, D., Zhang, E., Pan, S., Yan, X., \u0026amp; Gao, W. (2021). Fast quantitative method to detect the cross-sectional loss of wire rope defects. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 70, 1-11.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Informal food vendors, Decent work, Skills and competencies, Enabling services, Urban livelihoods","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8575986/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8575986/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eIn Tanzania’s urban settings, informal food vending represents an important livelihood strategy, and while vendors are relatively common to this economic activity, they generally have limited knowledge of labor rights, limited sustainable business skills, and access to services that would help enable a good and decent work life. The study assessed the capabilities of informal food vendors at the Ferry Bus Stand, Kigamboni Municipality to earn a decent work life across three dimensions: knowledge of decent work principles; skills and competencies; and the ability to access support systems. A cross-sectional survey of 77 purposively sampled vendors was conducted using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive analyses revealed the majority of vendors had moderate knowledge of the decent work principles, practical vending and customer service skills were mostly present, while basic competencies in labor rights awareness, recording keeping and sound sustainable practices were mostly absent. Enabling access to services was highest through informal support networks (67.5%), but limited for financial services (28.6%), training programs (23.4%), and social protection (19.5%). The results substantiate that informal vendors are operationally knowledgeable, however, lack of knowledge, formal sustainable business skills and institutional support prevent them from earning a productive, safe and sustainable work life. The study indicates that targeted interventions that build labor rights awareness, business and administrative competencies, and access to formal enabling services are necessary, and recommends that securing access to a combination of informal and formal networks would enhance vendors' economic resilience and decent work outcomes, and contribute, overall, to the greater goals of urban inclusion and the ILO Decent Work Agenda.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJEL classification J21, J24, J46, J81, J017, J015\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Assessing the Capabilities of Informal Food Vendors to Achieve Decent Work: Evidence from Ferry Bus Stand, Kigamboni Municipality, Tanzania","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-13 15:02:50","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8575986/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"a72233b9-f6c3-428c-b448-4e2bfd2ac354","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 13th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-13T15:02:50+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-13 15:02:50","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8575986","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8575986","identity":"rs-8575986","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}