Online Reporter
Judith Phiri [email protected]
THE City of Bulawayo has set up an office specifically dedicated to micro, small and medium enter-prises (MSMEs) crucial as they serve as the backbone of the economy, driving local employment, innovation and poverty reduction.
MSMEs are the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy, with approximately 3,4 million entities contrib-uting over 60 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employing roughly 4,8 million people full-time.
In a speech read on behalf of Bulawayo Mayor Councillor David Coltart by Councillor Ntombizodwa Khumalo at the 2026 MSMEs Winter Expo and Provincial Launch of International MSMEs Day on Friday at the Small City Hall, he said integrating MSMEs into the main levers of the economy was critical.
“The city of Bulawayo values the economic contribution that MSMEs make to the development of Bulawayo. It is encouraging that our players in the informal sector have scaled up their operations and are producing goods of high quality that can match any industry.
“The International Labour Organisation (ILO) statistics show that 90 percent of global economies are sustained by MSMEs. In this country, MSMEs make up almost 80 percent of the economic sec-tor. This means that liqakathekile (you are important) as a sector in the country,” he said.
“As the City of Bulawayo, we also see your strategic importance, hence our decision to set up an office specifically dedicated to addressing the MSME sector under the Town Planning Depart-ment.”
He said the growth of the MSMEs sector was not occurring accidentally, but has been driven by the resilience of people, who, upon experiencing economic challenges when some industries shut down, picked themselves up and transformed their skills into business opportunities.
The Mayor said as they commemorate the joint events, they recognise that the MSME sector is not just a Bulawayo or Zimbabwean phenomenon, but a global one, contributing to the success of many economies.
“We want to mainstream the biggest economic sector in the world into our operations. We are fi-nalising the construction of the Dugmore MSMEs centre, which will be a one-stop shop for MSMEs in Bulawayo to receive all their services under one roof,” he added.
“Also, the Nkulumane traders market will come on board soon. While global statistics present a positive outlook on the impact of MSMEs on most economies, sadly, in Bulawayo, we are not see-ing the positive effects of the sector.”
He said rather, it has become one of the most challenging sectors for the city.
The Mayor said just on Wednesday, the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Judith Ncube, along with members of the joint operations com-mand, joined them mayor them to assess the impact of illegal activities carried out by informal traders.
“Our informal trading needs to be more organised so that we can be respected as a sector. In most instances, the city is at a crossroads with informal traders, mostly those who do not want to be part of the mainstream sub-economic sectors.
“The city is having running battles with illegal vendors who want to operate on the streets, affect-ing some of the formal business operators, some of whom are also in the MSME sector,” he said.
“As we commemorate the International Day of MSMEs under the theme, “Empowering Bulawayo MSMEs for Innovation, Jobs, Resilience and Sustainable Growth in line with Vision 2030 and Global Trends.” I am challenging all of us to take the necessary steps to modernise the MSME sector so that it is aligned with national development goals while tapping into global trends.”
