how's an informal business to grow without government/banking support?

That's the question implicit in a new study by the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions. Far from protesting the informal economy, the union group suggests that it needs good governance to succeed, The Nation newspaper reports. "Though merchants are required to regularly pay market fees, markets do not have amenities such as free public toilets (in usable state), adequate water supply, drainage, and regular solid waste collection," Paliani Chinguwo, the union's director of research told the paper. If the merchants pay their fees to the government, why is the government not providing services?

The union added that bank loans are near to impossible for street businesses to use, because they often require collateral of 50 to 100 percent of the value of the loan. Again, without access to credit, how are small businesses supposed to grow?