Empirical Study of the Entrepreneurial Resilience of Street Vendors in Lusaka District, Zambia

This study assessed the entrepreneurial resilience of street vendors in Lusaka District, Zambia, focusing on the challenges they face, the innovations they employ, and the support systems required to strengthen resilience within the informal economy. Guided by the pragmatism paradigm and informed by Schumpeter's theory of entrepreneurship and psychological resilience theory, the study adopted a mixed-methods approach integrating quantitative and qualitative data. Three objectives guided the research: to determine the challenges affecting entrepreneurial resilience, to assess innovative strategies employed by street vendors, and to explore necessary support system adjustments for strengthening resilience. A total of 398 participants were involved, comprising 387 street vendors selected through cluster sampling, six key informants from the Ministry of Local Government, and five purposively selected vendor representatives. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and interview guides and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings reveal that street vendors demonstrate resilience through strategies such as business diversification, flexible pricing, strategic relocation, and reliance on informal networks. Inferential analysis shows that entrepreneurial resilience is strongly associated with operating during low-visibility hours (r = 0.68, p = 0.001), frequent relocation (r = 0.55, p = 0.003), and use of portable or mobile vending setups (r = 0.47, p = 0.010). However, maintaining good relationships with authorities and community leaders was not significantly associated with resilience. The study concludes that strengthening entrepreneurial resilience requires targeted improvements in financial access, skills development, secure trading infrastructure, and supportive policy interventions that recognize the realities of informal trading in Zambia.