The general aim of this study is to identify and illuminate factors which have affected the survival and development of informal, small-scale businesses in Ibadan, Nigeria, during recent years. The primary focus is on professional competences, in particular as gained through apprenticeship. The way in which such competences are acquired and the extent to which they are utilized in the businesses concerned are investigated.

Competence of the entrepreneurs is regarded as one of the factors which are most important for survival and development in the informal sector. However, an educational perspective alone would not have been an appropriate approach to this sector. Therefore an interdisciplinary approach, combining educational with socio-economic research, was chosen for this study: The research included other important factors such as infrastructure, financing, marketing, technology and informal relations.

Thus, the author goes beyond the narrow perspective of vocational training. The finding on entrepreneurs' responses to the changing environment, especially the innovative competences and the formation of interest groups, are of special interest. They indicate self-regulating tendencies in the informal sector which clearly show that the "informal" sector is not a "non-structured" sector.