How COVID-19 Has Affected Lagos Traders: Findings from High-Frequency Phone Surveys
Phone surveys with wholesale and retail traders to understand how their businesses were impacted by COVID-19 pandemic and policy responses
Abstract
We conducted three rounds of phone surveys with wholesale and retail traders in Lagos, Nigeria, to understand how their businesses were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated policy responses. We find high short-run compliance with public health measures, even though traders had virtually zero revenue during a month-long lockdown. After reopening, sales rebounded more than employment although neither returned to pre-pandemic levels. Traders reported low sales, lack of cash on hand, and challenges with sourcing as significant problems facing their business. Although most traders raised their prices to cope with the impacts, very few took out loans. Traders are interested in new strategies to cope with low demand and supply challenges. Policies to facilitate traders’ access to e-commerce and remote sales, as well as strategies to improve supply chain failures could help address these issues.
This work is part of the Private Enterprise Development in Low Income Countries (PEDL) programme
Citation
Bishi, M., Grossman, S. and Startz, M. “How COVID-19 Has Affected Lagos Traders: Findings from High-Frequency Phone Surveys” PEDL C-19 Note
Link
How COVID-19 Has Affected Lagos Traders: Findings from High-Frequency Phone Surveys