The Livelihoods of Micro and Small Enterprise Operators in a District of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Reflections on their Capital Assets Reality

Abstract

The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) presupposes the outcomes of
any livelihood strategy, including working in micro and small enterprises, the
results of interplay of context, access to and level of different sorts of assets,
and policies and institutions. Targeting those MSE operators working in
Woreda 1 of Lideta sub-city of Addis Ababa and based on qualitative data
generated via in-depth interviews, key-informant interviews, and focus group
discussion, this paper aims at assessing the level and access of micro and small
enterprise operators to various types of capital assets. It was found that the
operators have relatively better access to different levels of social, political,
and human assets. In addition to the high level of access to and possession of
these three types of assets, it is also uncovered that the operators possess a
remarkable amount of financial and physical assets. To further augment these
capital assets, the study mainly proposes alleviating the market shortage,
improving provision of public infrastructure and facilities, availing affordable
credit and enhancing the capacity of the operators.