TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
The Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development has launched the metro mini factories aimed at creating more decent jobs for Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) in Bulawayo.
Over the past few years, Zimbabwe has witnessed the emergence and growth of SMEs mainly due to the high levels of unemployment and the growth of the informal sector.
The SMEs have mushroomed in various sectors of the economy ranging from farming to information and technology.
Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development deputy minister Jennifer Mhlanga (pictured) said the intervention by government and its partners demonstrates the importance of deploying integrated strategies for facilitating the transition of informality to formality.
“I am happy that the ministry, together with ILO and other stakeholders, have decided to honour and show the nation that we can complement each other for the development of decent workspaces for SMEs for the benefit of the country. This intervention demonstrates the importance of deploying integrated strategies for facilitating the transition of informality to formality,” Mhlanga said.
“The importance of formalisation is critical for the development and growth of MSMEs, business support service providers and big corporate and finance institutions in order to build trust and good relationships, which are important attributes in catalysing the growth of SMEs business operations.”
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube said closing the gap between formal and informal sectors was critical towards attaining the upper middle income.
“This structure is of special significance as it is a testimony in transformation from informal to formal sector,” she said.
ILO director for Zimbabwe and Namibia Hopolang Phororo said their drive was to promote decent work space for SMEs as this provides jobs to the majority people globally.
“We identified Bulawayo SMEs Centre and refurbished it to promote and capacitate SMEs. We celebrate the partnership because even an organisation as big as ILO cannot perform the formalisation of informal sector alone,” she said.
Government is also looking at establishing SMEs incubation centres throughout the country to accelerate development of startups and fledgling entrepreneurs to effectively impact the growth of the economy.
Bulawayo Chamber of SMEs chairperson, Coustin Ngwenya said : “From old looking, plastic, sack, zinc sheet and old metal demarcations we now have the state of the art and technology working space. We now have enhanced individual and stock security.”
The Business and Development chairperson in the Bulawayo City Council Ward 6 councillor, Tawanda Ruzive said model would be a hallmark for Bulawayo economic development.
“The provision of modern working space is going to transform the SMEs sector and capacitate young businesses to growth their earnings. The model we have just witnessed here will be a hallmark for Bulawayo economic development,” he said.
