Role Of Street Vending In Urban Livelihood (In Case Of Mettu Town)

The informal economy plays a key role in ensuring economic growth and social well-being in developing countries. In particular, in Africa, more than 60% of the urban population, as well as almost 80% of the non-agricultural population, are employed in the informal economy. The main purpose of the study is to study the role of street commerce in supporting urban life. One of Ethiopia's remote cities, Matt, was selected as a research object. The extent of the impact of street commerce on the incomes of the urban population, including those who do not own land, is analyzed in the study. The urgency of solving this scientific problem is to find patterns between the living conditions of urban population living on the brink of poverty and street commerce, the income of which is directed to meet their daily physiological needs. The paper systematizes scientific approaches to the study of the relationship between street trade and the living conditions of urban populations. The source of the primary data for the study was questionnaires that contained information on the socio-demographic profile of street traders, the extent of their activity, the amount of start-up capital, access to credit, and their main difficulties in this type of activity. Descriptive statistics methods became a methodological tool of the conducted research. The results of the empirical analysis have shown that there is a positive correlation between street commerce and the well-being of urban populations. In addition, it is found that about 37.9% of people involved in street trading are experiencing problems as a result of tightening of regulatory standards by the state. The study empirically confirms and theoretically proves that street selling is one of the important sources of urban existence in Ethiopia. The results of the study can be useful for government officials, NGOs, international institutions, as well as researchers dealing with this issue.