Luanda is one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities, its population increasing at a rate of
almost 7% annually, and reaching over 7 million people by 2016. The breadth of
Angola’s informal sector – and its pervasive role in the lives of most Angolans –
cannot be overstated. Throughout the vast urban musseques (informal settlements) of peri-urban Luanda, in which approximately half of the city’s population currently
reside, essential services – such as water and food distribution – are provided for the
overwhelming majority through private initiative in the informal sector
