Examining the Research Gap in Occupational Health Services for the Informal Economy in Nigeria

The informal economy employs over 85 percent of Nigeria's working population, yet occupational health service provision, research, and policy are overwhelmingly oriented toward the formal sector, creating a significant gap in both evidence and practice that this study addresses through systematic review and gap analysis. This study examined the research gap in occupational health services provision for informal economy workers in Nigeria. A systematic scoping review methodology was employed, searching eight academic databases and grey literature repositories for publications on occupational health in Nigeria's informal sector from 2015 to 2024. Inclusion criteria required focus on informal sector workers in any hazardous occupation. Eligible publications were analysed for study design, population covered, health outcomes assessed, intervention types, and policy recommendations. Forty-one publications met inclusion criteria. Artisanal mining (29.3 percent), street vending (19.5 percent), and domestic work (12.2 percent) were the most studied occupational groups. Agricultural, transport, and small manufacturing informal workers were significantly underrepresented relative to their national employment shares. Occupational injury and musculoskeletal conditions dominated reported outcomes (63.4 percent), while mental health, reproductive health, and occupational disease were substantially underresearched. No studies evaluated the effectiveness of occupational health interventions specifically designed for informal workers. The study identifies six priority research gaps and proposes a Nigeria Informal Economy Occupational Health Research Agenda covering primary surveillance, intervention development, and policy evaluation. This constitutes an original contribution to occupational health research planning in sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords: occupational health, informal economy, research gap, Nigeria, scoping review