Zimbabwe’s informal sector has emerged as the country’s primary employer, yet it continues to face significant challenges due to inadequate government policy and financing mechanisms, according to the Bulawayo Projects Centre (BPC). The BPC highlights a critical disconnect between the sector’s growing role in sustaining livelihoods and the support it receives from the government.
Informal trading and other self-employment activities are encountering major barriers in accessing finance, markets, skills development, and formalisation. Despite shouldering an increasing share of the nation’s employment burden, these enterprises lack the comprehensive support needed for growth and stability.
Key Players Involved
- Bulawayo Projects Centre (BPC): An organisation providing vocational skills, technical resources, and business guidance to young people, advocating for policy reform.
- Tichafa Chiramba: BPC Programmes, Partnerships and Communications Officer, who underscored the policy gap and the challenges faced by young entrepreneurs in the informal sector.
Event Timeline
- September 19, 2026: The Bulawayo Projects Centre released statements highlighting the informal sector’s challenges and calling for a comprehensive review of the country’s small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) policy.
