is a National Membership driven Organization representing Informal Traders Associations of Zimbabwe. It is made up of the self employed and informal employees engaged in small unregistered or un-incorporated enterprises and undeclared workers.
Decent standards of living for all Zimbabweans in a stable economy.
Alleviating poverty through transforming informal economy activities into mainstream activities.
“ The Chamber That Delivers”
Our Major Developments Since 2002
Signed a memorandum of understanding with ZCTU in 2004 & benefits from it.
Membership acquired broad knowledge on rights awareness and educational programmes.
Structures leadership trained on lobby & advocacy initiatives and organizational results based management.
Developed a culture of transparency and good governance.
The membership of ZCIEA now caters for both the urban and rural population.
Registered as a Trust in 2008
Production of the ZCIEA Rights awareness and Paralegal Manual
ZCIEA promotes the involvement of women, the disabled & youth at high level of decision making bodies and activities.
ZCIEA successfully trained 127 Paralegal officers
Production of the ZCIEA Rights awareness and Paralegal Manual
An affiliate member of StreetNet International & East & Southern Africa focal point for StreetNet.
Production of the ZCIEA Rights awareness and Paralegal Manual
Strengthened and focused organization as a result of apolitical membership mobilization, servicing and recruitment exercises.
Have won 5 court cases for the members trading in Chitungwiza, Gweru, Bulawayo, Triangle & Mutare on issues to do with their trading space.
Managed to facilitate for the allocation of 3 749 low cost housing stands for its members of which 2 853 who have benefited are women.
Developed a tool kit for Mainstreaming Decent Work in the Informal Economy.
Developing sound relationships across structures with councilors, Members of Parliament, Revenue Authorities, Local Authorities, Parliamentary Portfolio committees, Police and Relevant Ministries (SMES, Labour, Women & Gender, Youth & Indigenization).
Launched a National Campaign and Petitioning of the government to review out dated bi-laws and policies affecting the operations of the informal economy. Gathered above 120 000 signatures on the petition forms.
Lobbied for a total of 27 200 market operational places for its membership across the whole country. The beneficiaries were 16 600 were women and 10 600 were men.
Purchased a vehicle in 2011
Establishment of an internal revolving fund scheme which has seen 3 800 members benefiting from the fund so far.
Now seats on the Zimbabwe Occupational Healthy & Safety Board.
Now a committee member of the National Aids Council (NAC)
Have an independent offices with one full time staff (office secretary).
Held 3rd National Elective Congress on 23 and 24 October 2021 Out of 46 Territorial Presidents 29 are women elected at the 2015 National congress (2015 – 2020), 17 are men
ZCIEA successfully set up Women Structure, People With Disability Structure, and Youth Structure
The organization was founded in 2002 by a group of 22 Informal Traders Associations who desired to have an Apex body for this massive 84% of the Zimbabwean Economy which paradoxically had a weak voice, vulnerable to harassments, political abuse , no income security and lack of social protection.
This was a direct response to the collapse of formal setups as a result of Economic Structural Adjustment programme (ESAP) which was introduces by the Zimbabwean government in the 1990s. The company closures, retrenchments and the inability of formal structures to absorb the job seekers gave rise to massive expansion of the informal economy.
On seeing the continued marginalization of this sector, formation of this Apex body was a result of a tripartite decision by ZCTU (Labour) EMCOZ (Business) and Ministry of Labour (Government).
The objective was to harness these precarious operations and seek means and strategies that will facilitate mainstreaming of the Informal Economy with a view to empowering it socially and economically.
However the direct organizing and setting up of the structures was spearheaded by Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) which established an informal economy desk for this cause.
To this day ZCIEA works with the ZCTU informal economy desk which plays the advisory role to the organisation.