Small contractor development and employment—A brief survey of sub-saharan experience in relation to civil construction

Development of small contractors for the construction industry has been advocated and explored in two different contexts in sub-Saharan Africa. This experience could prove useful in relation to the larger debate. Certainly, investigation of the two strands of small contractor development suggested that lessons could be learned for future small contractor development and employment generation from the experience of large programmes of labour-intensive construction and maintenance of rural roads. In particular, the need for a “programme” approach which would include a linked training programme is strongly identified.