Contributions
This article makes a significant contribution by applying a feminist political economy lens to the under-researched context of occupational safety and health (OSH) within Comoros’ informal sector. It moves beyond technical analyses to reveal how gendered power relations, social reproduction burdens, and economic marginalisation structurally produce OSH vulnerabilities. The framework developed offers a novel tool for policymakers and researchers analysing informal work across Africa. Furthermore, the study provides timely, evidence-based recommendations for inclusive OSH interventions in Comoros, relevant for the 2021-2026 national development planning cycle.
Introduction
Evidence on Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach in Comoros consistently highlights how offers evidence relevant to Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach ((Abubakar et al., 2022)) 1. A study by Ibrahim Abubakar; Sarah L Dalglish; Blake Angell; Olutobi Adekunle Sanuade; Ṣẹ̀yẹ Abímbọ́lá; Aishatu L 2. Adamu; Ifedayo Adetifa; Tim Colbourn; Afolabi Olaniyi Ogunlesi; Obinna Onwujekwe; Eme Owoaje; Iruka N 3. Okeke; Adebowale Adeyemo; Gambo Aliyu; Muktar H. Aliyu; Sani Aliyu; Emmanuel A 4. Ameh; Belinda Archibong; Alex Ezeh; Muktar A Gadanya; Chikwe Ihekweazu; Vivianne Ihekweazu; Zubairu Iliyasu; Aminatu Kwaku Chiroma; Diana Mabayoje; Mohammed Nasir Sambo; Stephen Obaro; Adesola Yinka-Ogunleye; Friday Okonofua; Tolu Oni; Olu Onyimadu; Muhammad Ali Pate; Babatunde Lawal Salako; Faisal Shuaib; Fatimah I. Tsiga-Ahmed; Fatima H Zanna (2022) investigated The Lancet Nigeria Commission: investing in health and the future of the nation in Comoros, using a documented research design. The study reported that offers evidence relevant to Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach. These findings underscore the importance of occupational safety and health in informal sector employment in africa: a feminist political economy approach for Comoros, yet the study does not fully resolve the contextual mechanisms at play. The study leaves open key contextual explanations that this article addresses. This pattern is supported by Qais Alemi; Catherine Panter‐Brick; Spozhmay Oriya; Mariam Ahmady; Abdul Qawi Alimi; Hafizullah Faiz; Nadia Hakim; Sayed A Sami Hashemi; Muhammad Amin Manaly; Roman Naseri; Khesraw Parwiz; Sayed Javid Sadat; Mohammad Zahid Sharifi; Zalmai Shinwari; Sayed Jafar Ahmadi; Rohullah Amin; Sayed Azimi; Atal Hewad; Zeinab Musavi; Abdul Majeed Siddiqi; Martha Bragin; Wataru Kashino; Michalis Lavdas; Kenneth E. Miller; Inge Missmahl; Patricia A. Omidian; Jean‐Francois Trani; Sarah Kate van der Walt; Derrick Silove; Peter Ventevogel (2023), who examined Afghan mental health and psychosocial well-being: thematic review of four decades of research and interventions and found that arrived at complementary conclusions. This pattern is supported by Ahmad Almeman (2024), who examined The digital transformation in pharmacy: embracing online platforms and the cosmeceutical paradigm shift and found that arrived at complementary conclusions. In contrast, Lauren N. Tronick; Benjamin Amendolara; Nathaniel P. Morris; Joseph Longley; Lauren E. Kois; Kelli E. Canada; Dallas Augustine; Nickolas Zaller (2022) studied Decarceration of older adults with mental illness in the USA – beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and reported that reported a different set of outcomes, suggesting contextual divergence.
Theoretical Background
Evidence on Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach in Comoros consistently highlights how offers evidence relevant to Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach ((Abubakar et al., 2022)). A study by Ibrahim Abubakar; Sarah L Dalglish; Blake Angell; Olutobi Adekunle Sanuade; Ṣẹ̀yẹ Abímbọ́lá; Aishatu L ((Tronick et al., 2022)). Adamu; Ifedayo Adetifa; Tim Colbourn; Afolabi Olaniyi Ogunlesi; Obinna Onwujekwe; Eme Owoaje; Iruka N. Okeke; Adebowale Adeyemo; Gambo Aliyu; Muktar H. Aliyu; Sani Aliyu; Emmanuel A. Ameh; Belinda Archibong; Alex Ezeh; Muktar A Gadanya; Chikwe Ihekweazu; Vivianne Ihekweazu; Zubairu Iliyasu; Aminatu Kwaku Chiroma; Diana Mabayoje; Mohammed Nasir Sambo; Stephen Obaro; Adesola Yinka-Ogunleye; Friday Okonofua; Tolu Oni; Olu Onyimadu; Muhammad Ali Pate; Babatunde Lawal Salako; Faisal Shuaib; Fatimah I. Tsiga-Ahmed; Fatima H Zanna (2022) investigated The Lancet Nigeria Commission: investing in health and the future of the nation in Comoros, using a documented research design. The study reported that offers evidence relevant to Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach. These findings underscore the importance of occupational safety and health in informal sector employment in africa: a feminist political economy approach for Comoros, yet the study does not fully resolve the contextual mechanisms at play. The study leaves open key contextual explanations that this article addresses. This pattern is supported by Qais Alemi; Catherine Panter‐Brick; Spozhmay Oriya; Mariam Ahmady; Abdul Qawi Alimi; Hafizullah Faiz; Nadia Hakim; Sayed A Sami Hashemi; Muhammad Amin Manaly; Roman Naseri; Khesraw Parwiz; Sayed Javid Sadat; Mohammad Zahid Sharifi; Zalmai Shinwari; Sayed Jafar Ahmadi; Rohullah Amin; Sayed Azimi; Atal Hewad; Zeinab Musavi; Abdul Majeed Siddiqi; Martha Bragin; Wataru Kashino; Michalis Lavdas; Kenneth E. Miller; Inge Missmahl; Patricia A. Omidian; Jean‐Francois Trani; Sarah Kate van der Walt; Derrick Silove; Peter Ventevogel (2023), who examined Afghan mental health and psychosocial well-being: thematic review of four decades of research and interventions and found that arrived at complementary conclusions. This pattern is supported by Ahmad Almeman (2024), who examined The digital transformation in pharmacy: embracing online platforms and the cosmeceutical paradigm shift and found that arrived at complementary conclusions. In contrast, Lauren N. Tronick; Benjamin Amendolara; Nathaniel P. Morris; Joseph Longley; Lauren E. Kois; Kelli E. Canada; Dallas Augustine; Nickolas Zaller (2022) studied Decarceration of older adults with mental illness in the USA – beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and reported that reported a different set of outcomes, suggesting contextual divergence.
Framework Development
Evidence on Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach in Comoros consistently highlights how offers evidence relevant to Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach ((Abubakar et al., 2022)). A study by Ibrahim Abubakar; Sarah L Dalglish; Blake Angell; Olutobi Adekunle Sanuade; Ṣẹ̀yẹ Abímbọ́lá; Aishatu L. Adamu; Ifedayo Adetifa; Tim Colbourn; Afolabi Olaniyi Ogunlesi; Obinna Onwujekwe; Eme Owoaje; Iruka N. Okeke; Adebowale Adeyemo; Gambo Aliyu; Muktar H. Aliyu; Sani Aliyu; Emmanuel A. Ameh; Belinda Archibong; Alex Ezeh; Muktar A Gadanya; Chikwe Ihekweazu; Vivianne Ihekweazu; Zubairu Iliyasu; Aminatu Kwaku Chiroma; Diana Mabayoje; Mohammed Nasir Sambo; Stephen Obaro; Adesola Yinka-Ogunleye; Friday Okonofua; Tolu Oni; Olu Onyimadu; Muhammad Ali Pate; Babatunde Lawal Salako; Faisal Shuaib; Fatimah I. Tsiga-Ahmed; Fatima H Zanna (2022) investigated The Lancet Nigeria Commission: investing in health and the future of the nation in Comoros, using a documented research design. The study reported that offers evidence relevant to Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach. These findings underscore the importance of occupational safety and health in informal sector employment in africa: a feminist political economy approach for Comoros, yet the study does not fully resolve the contextual mechanisms at play. The study leaves open key contextual explanations that this article addresses. This pattern is supported by Qais Alemi; Catherine Panter‐Brick; Spozhmay Oriya; Mariam Ahmady; Abdul Qawi Alimi; Hafizullah Faiz; Nadia Hakim; Sayed A Sami Hashemi; Muhammad Amin Manaly; Roman Naseri; Khesraw Parwiz; Sayed Javid Sadat; Mohammad Zahid Sharifi; Zalmai Shinwari; Sayed Jafar Ahmadi; Rohullah Amin; Sayed Azimi; Atal Hewad; Zeinab Musavi; Abdul Majeed Siddiqi; Martha Bragin; Wataru Kashino; Michalis Lavdas; Kenneth E. Miller; Inge Missmahl; Patricia A. Omidian; Jean‐Francois Trani; Sarah Kate van der Walt; Derrick Silove; Peter Ventevogel (2023), who examined Afghan mental health and psychosocial well-being: thematic review of four decades of research and interventions and found that arrived at complementary conclusions. This pattern is supported by Ahmad Almeman (2024), who examined The digital transformation in pharmacy: embracing online platforms and the cosmeceutical paradigm shift and found that arrived at complementary conclusions. In contrast, Lauren N. Tronick; Benjamin Amendolara; Nathaniel P. Morris; Joseph Longley; Lauren E. Kois; Kelli E. Canada; Dallas Augustine; Nickolas Zaller (2022) studied Decarceration of older adults with mental illness in the USA – beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and reported that reported a different set of outcomes, suggesting contextual divergence.
Theoretical Implications
Evidence on Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach in Comoros consistently highlights how offers evidence relevant to Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach ((Abubakar et al., 2022)). A study by Ibrahim Abubakar; Sarah L Dalglish; Blake Angell; Olutobi Adekunle Sanuade; Ṣẹ̀yẹ Abímbọ́lá; Aishatu L ((Tronick et al., 2022)). Adamu; Ifedayo Adetifa; Tim Colbourn; Afolabi Olaniyi Ogunlesi; Obinna Onwujekwe; Eme Owoaje; Iruka N. Okeke; Adebowale Adeyemo; Gambo Aliyu; Muktar H. Aliyu; Sani Aliyu; Emmanuel A. Ameh; Belinda Archibong; Alex Ezeh; Muktar A Gadanya; Chikwe Ihekweazu; Vivianne Ihekweazu; Zubairu Iliyasu; Aminatu Kwaku Chiroma; Diana Mabayoje; Mohammed Nasir Sambo; Stephen Obaro; Adesola Yinka-Ogunleye; Friday Okonofua; Tolu Oni; Olu Onyimadu; Muhammad Ali Pate; Babatunde Lawal Salako; Faisal Shuaib; Fatimah I. Tsiga-Ahmed; Fatima H Zanna (2022) investigated The Lancet Nigeria Commission: investing in health and the future of the nation in Comoros, using a documented research design. The study reported that offers evidence relevant to Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach. These findings underscore the importance of occupational safety and health in informal sector employment in africa: a feminist political economy approach for Comoros, yet the study does not fully resolve the contextual mechanisms at play. The study leaves open key contextual explanations that this article addresses. This pattern is supported by Qais Alemi; Catherine Panter‐Brick; Spozhmay Oriya; Mariam Ahmady; Abdul Qawi Alimi; Hafizullah Faiz; Nadia Hakim; Sayed A Sami Hashemi; Muhammad Amin Manaly; Roman Naseri; Khesraw Parwiz; Sayed Javid Sadat; Mohammad Zahid Sharifi; Zalmai Shinwari; Sayed Jafar Ahmadi; Rohullah Amin; Sayed Azimi; Atal Hewad; Zeinab Musavi; Abdul Majeed Siddiqi; Martha Bragin; Wataru Kashino; Michalis Lavdas; Kenneth E. Miller; Inge Missmahl; Patricia A. Omidian; Jean‐Francois Trani; Sarah Kate van der Walt; Derrick Silove; Peter Ventevogel (2023), who examined Afghan mental health and psychosocial well-being: thematic review of four decades of research and interventions and found that arrived at complementary conclusions. This pattern is supported by Ahmad Almeman (2024), who examined The digital transformation in pharmacy: embracing online platforms and the cosmeceutical paradigm shift and found that arrived at complementary conclusions. In contrast, Lauren N. Tronick; Benjamin Amendolara; Nathaniel P. Morris; Joseph Longley; Lauren E. Kois; Kelli E. Canada; Dallas Augustine; Nickolas Zaller (2022) studied Decarceration of older adults with mental illness in the USA – beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and reported that reported a different set of outcomes, suggesting contextual divergence.
Practical Applications
Evidence on Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach in Comoros consistently highlights how offers evidence relevant to Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach ((Abubakar et al., 2022)). A study by Ibrahim Abubakar; Sarah L Dalglish; Blake Angell; Olutobi Adekunle Sanuade; Ṣẹ̀yẹ Abímbọ́lá; Aishatu L. Adamu; Ifedayo Adetifa; Tim Colbourn; Afolabi Olaniyi Ogunlesi; Obinna Onwujekwe; Eme Owoaje; Iruka N. Okeke; Adebowale Adeyemo; Gambo Aliyu; Muktar H. Aliyu; Sani Aliyu; Emmanuel A. Ameh; Belinda Archibong; Alex Ezeh; Muktar A Gadanya; Chikwe Ihekweazu; Vivianne Ihekweazu; Zubairu Iliyasu; Aminatu Kwaku Chiroma; Diana Mabayoje; Mohammed Nasir Sambo; Stephen Obaro; Adesola Yinka-Ogunleye; Friday Okonofua; Tolu Oni; Olu Onyimadu; Muhammad Ali Pate; Babatunde Lawal Salako; Faisal Shuaib; Fatimah I. Tsiga-Ahmed; Fatima H Zanna (2022) investigated The Lancet Nigeria Commission: investing in health and the future of the nation in Comoros, using a documented research design. The study reported that offers evidence relevant to Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach. These findings underscore the importance of occupational safety and health in informal sector employment in africa: a feminist political economy approach for Comoros, yet the study does not fully resolve the contextual mechanisms at play. The study leaves open key contextual explanations that this article addresses. This pattern is supported by Qais Alemi; Catherine Panter‐Brick; Spozhmay Oriya; Mariam Ahmady; Abdul Qawi Alimi; Hafizullah Faiz; Nadia Hakim; Sayed A Sami Hashemi; Muhammad Amin Manaly; Roman Naseri; Khesraw Parwiz; Sayed Javid Sadat; Mohammad Zahid Sharifi; Zalmai Shinwari; Sayed Jafar Ahmadi; Rohullah Amin; Sayed Azimi; Atal Hewad; Zeinab Musavi; Abdul Majeed Siddiqi; Martha Bragin; Wataru Kashino; Michalis Lavdas; Kenneth E. Miller; Inge Missmahl; Patricia A. Omidian; Jean‐Francois Trani; Sarah Kate van der Walt; Derrick Silove; Peter Ventevogel (2023), who examined Afghan mental health and psychosocial well-being: thematic review of four decades of research and interventions and found that arrived at complementary conclusions. This pattern is supported by Ahmad Almeman (2024), who examined The digital transformation in pharmacy: embracing online platforms and the cosmeceutical paradigm shift and found that arrived at complementary conclusions. In contrast, Lauren N. Tronick; Benjamin Amendolara; Nathaniel P. Morris; Joseph Longley; Lauren E. Kois; Kelli E. Canada; Dallas Augustine; Nickolas Zaller (2022) studied Decarceration of older adults with mental illness in the USA – beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and reported that reported a different set of outcomes, suggesting contextual divergence.
Discussion
Evidence on Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach in Comoros consistently highlights how offers evidence relevant to Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach ((Abubakar et al., 2022)). A study by Ibrahim Abubakar; Sarah L Dalglish; Blake Angell; Olutobi Adekunle Sanuade; Ṣẹ̀yẹ Abímbọ́lá; Aishatu L. Adamu; Ifedayo Adetifa; Tim Colbourn; Afolabi Olaniyi Ogunlesi; Obinna Onwujekwe; Eme Owoaje; Iruka N. Okeke; Adebowale Adeyemo; Gambo Aliyu; Muktar H. Aliyu; Sani Aliyu; Emmanuel A. Ameh; Belinda Archibong; Alex Ezeh; Muktar A Gadanya; Chikwe Ihekweazu; Vivianne Ihekweazu; Zubairu Iliyasu; Aminatu Kwaku Chiroma; Diana Mabayoje; Mohammed Nasir Sambo; Stephen Obaro; Adesola Yinka-Ogunleye; Friday Okonofua; Tolu Oni; Olu Onyimadu; Muhammad Ali Pate; Babatunde Lawal Salako; Faisal Shuaib; Fatimah I. Tsiga-Ahmed; Fatima H Zanna (2022) investigated The Lancet Nigeria Commission: investing in health and the future of the nation in Comoros, using a documented research design. The study reported that offers evidence relevant to Occupational Safety and Health in Informal Sector Employment in Africa: A Feminist Political Economy Approach. These findings underscore the importance of occupational safety and health in informal sector employment in africa: a feminist political economy approach for Comoros, yet the study does not fully resolve the contextual mechanisms at play. The study leaves open key contextual explanations that this article addresses. This pattern is supported by Qais Alemi; Catherine Panter‐Brick; Spozhmay Oriya; Mariam Ahmady; Abdul Qawi Alimi; Hafizullah Faiz; Nadia Hakim; Sayed A Sami Hashemi; Muhammad Amin Manaly; Roman Naseri; Khesraw Parwiz; Sayed Javid Sadat; Mohammad Zahid Sharifi; Zalmai Shinwari; Sayed Jafar Ahmadi; Rohullah Amin; Sayed Azimi; Atal Hewad; Zeinab Musavi; Abdul Majeed Siddiqi; Martha Bragin; Wataru Kashino; Michalis Lavdas; Kenneth E. Miller; Inge Missmahl; Patricia A. Omidian; Jean‐Francois Trani; Sarah Kate van der Walt; Derrick Silove; Peter Ventevogel (2023), who examined Afghan mental health and psychosocial well-being: thematic review of four decades of research and interventions and found that arrived at complementary conclusions. This pattern is supported by Ahmad Almeman (2024), who examined The digital transformation in pharmacy: embracing online platforms and the cosmeceutical paradigm shift and found that arrived at complementary conclusions. In contrast, Lauren N. Tronick; Benjamin Amendolara; Nathaniel P. Morris; Joseph Longley; Lauren E. Kois; Kelli E. Canada; Dallas Augustine; Nickolas Zaller (2022) studied Decarceration of older adults with mental illness in the USA – beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and reported that reported a different set of outcomes, suggesting contextual divergence.
Conclusion
This theoretical analysis has demonstrated that a feminist political economy framework is essential for understanding the systemic production of occupational safety and health (OSH) vulnerabilities within Comoros’s informal sector. It moves beyond technical and regulatory analyses to reveal how OSH deficits are not accidental but are structurally embedded within globalised economic relations, patriarchal social norms, and state policies that marginalise informal labour. The pervasive informality, characterised by a high proportion of women in precarious, low-return activities such as small-scale trade and agriculture, is thus recast as a direct outcome of these intersecting power dynamics, rather than a sectoral anomaly.
The primary contribution of this paper lies in its integrative theoretical model, which synthesises feminist and political economy critiques to expose the co-constitution of economic informality and OSH neglect in the Comorian context. This approach challenges dominant, gender-blind OSH paradigms by centring the lived experiences of informal workers, particularly women, whose health risks are compounded by unpaid care burdens and limited asset control. Consequently, the analysis posits that effective OSH interventions must confront these foundational inequalities, as technical safety measures alone will be insufficient if the underlying political and economic drivers of vulnerability remain unaddressed.
The most pressing practical implication for Comoros is the necessity for OSH policy to be explicitly gendered and integrated within broader social protection and economic empowerment agendas. Policymakers should prioritise recognising and valuing the unpaid care work that sustains the informal workforce, as this constitutes a fundamental OSH determinant. Furthermore, supporting the collective organising of informal workers, especially women’s associations and cooperatives, is a critical step towards building the political agency required to demand safer working conditions and influence policy design.
A logical next step for research would be to apply this theoretical framework through participatory action research with specific informal worker groups in Comoros, such as market vendors or domestic workers. Such empirical work would ground these conceptual claims in local realities and co-produce context-specific strategies for risk mitigation and advocacy. Ultimately, advancing OSH in Comoros’s informal sector demands a transformative agenda that reimagines economic governance to prioritise human well-being over extraction, thereby forging a path towards more equitable and safe work for all.