Skill Acquisition and Work in Micro-enterprises: Evidence from Lome, Togo. Discussion Paper No. 31.

A survey on education and training for work in micro-enterprises was conducted in Lome, Togo in 1989. Data were collected through a number of sample surveys, structured interviews with owner-operators of enterprises, from apprentices, and through "cameo" studies by local collaborators for each activity covered in the study. Results of the research show that the informal sector is a vigorous part of the economy in Lome. It is largely the outcome of training from within, usually in the form of traditional apprenticeship. Micro-entrepreneurs follow different paths to self-employment, but education and apprenticeship are increasingly the first two steps in their careers. These business people possess a wide variety of technical and other skills not usually acquired in schools. Educational levels of entrepreneurs and apprentices have steadily increased over the years. Length of schooling, itself determined by sex, year of birth, and family background, explains to some extent choice of trade, use of technology, relative success, and interest in further training. About 15 percent of the Lome labor force receive apprenticeship training. Women in the system have fewer educational and training opportunities and fewer trades from which to choose. The study concluded that intervention to improve the apprenticeship system should be approached cautiously, if at all, making sure that help is wanted and that it improves a relatively successful system. (Fifteen tables and 11 charts are included in the report. Appendixes include the survey methodology, activity reports and statistics, the research team and their responsibilities, and 10 references.) (KC)