We have seen that it can be particularly useful in creating jobs, income and opportunity for Africa s poor. Participate more effectively in building economic democracies and civil societies. The informal sector makes up slightly more than 60 percent of urban employment in sub-Saharan Africa. We define microenterprises as business activities with 10 or fewer employees and very limited assets. In practice, most microenterprises involve one or two people or a family working together.
Women are central to any strategy for poverty alleviation.
Historically, we have been one of the largest supporters of microenterprise programs worldwide. We also have supported many development activities to design more effective strategies and tactics to support microenterprise. Microenterprise development, and microfinance in particular, provide unique opportunities for the very poor. These loans offer them the capacity to build on individual initiative and talents. They also help them to build on traditional systems of trade and production often ignored by banking and lending systems.