The article describes the small business in the Sahel region of Africa. There is a vast, dynamic and heterogeneous private sector in the Sahel. Over and above the large number of private farmers–80% of the population of the Sahel–there are three main areas of activity: a modern sector, an ‘informal’ sector and extensive regional cross-border trade. Attitudes and behaviour in the Sahel countries must change if private enterprise is to flourish in a legal framework. This requires an immense effort in education, instruction and training. The sheer scale of this task puts it out of the reach of the Sahelian governments and public aid agencies. Some thought should be given to setting up a transfrontier association of teachers and trainers from the Sahel countries themselves and from non-governmental circles in the industrial countries. Such an association could speed up the dissemination of knowledge–without which no society can be transformed from inside.
