Assessment of Intervention Strategies for Supporting Street Vendors in Dodoma City Council, Tanzania

Paschal Seleli

Authors

Paschal Seleli Tanzania Institute of Accountancy (TIA) – Mbeya, Tanzania

Keywords:

street business vendors, intervention, council

Abstract

The study assessed the Intervention strategies towards helping the business street vendors at Dodoma City Council. The study adopted a mixed research approach and data collection involved questionnaires and unstructured interviews with key informants (N=110), where 100 participants were surveyed street vendors, and 10 participants were interviewed City Council officials. Data analysis employed both statistical techniques for quantitative data and narrative analysis for qualitative responses to provide a comprehensive understanding. The study found that the City Council has supported vendors through financial assistance, training programs, and designated business spaces, with mixed effectiveness. Results show that 67% of vendors received financial support, and 72% indicated this assistance to have had a beneficial impact on their business. 51% also had training programs available, from which 67% reported better business functions because of the training. Fully 70% of vendors reported that their business had access to designated business spaces, and 69% noted that the experience had increased their business performance in an organized location. On the whole, interventions showed positive effects; however, substantial deficits persisted as a large subgroup received no benefit from such support. The investigation also highlighted challenges such as lack of enough space at established markets, difficulties in selecting appropriate spaces where to vend and low compliance for vendors choosing unauthorized high-traffic areas. These findings underscore the requirements for better planning, increased infrastructure, and enhanced enforcement to promote an equitable and sustainable provision for street vendors in Dodoma City. Based on these findings, five recommendations are proposed: improve access to financial support, enhance training programs, expand and upgrade market spaces, strengthen enforcement through participatory approaches, and integrate street vending into city planning through regular assessments and stakeholder engagement.

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