The Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations ZCIEA 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. THE VISION Decent standards of living for all Zimbabweans in a stable economy. THE MISSION Alleviating poverty through transforming informal economy activities into mainstream activities. ZCIEA SLOGAN “ The Chamber That Delivers” Objectives To organize, establish, promote and protect the interest of the informal economy traders in Zimbabwe. To foster for democratization of the environment through rights awareness, lobby and advocacy programmes targeting the rank and file of the Informal Economy Workers. To capacitate ZCIEA structures in a manner that enables them to engage authorities at all levels and demand accountability whilst operating proficiently. To influence policy formations which will bring about social and economic change whilst providing for the transformation of the Informal Economy activities in Zimbabwe and beyond. Our History 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. View all posts by zcieazimnews