Story By: Simbarashe Muparaganda
Bulawayo-The Swiss government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting sustainable urban development and resilience-building initiatives in Zimbabwe, pledging an additional US$8 million towards urban resilience interventions in the coming years.
Speaking in council chambers after touring the Highlanders Safe Market site in the second largest city on Thursday, Switzerland’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, Stephane Rey said the funding builds on the existing partnership between the Swiss Embassy and Bulawayo City Council(BCC) aimed at improving infrastructure and livelihoods for informal traders.
“Switzerland remains committed to supporting sustainable urban development and resilience-building initiatives in Zimbabwe.
“Building on this partnership, we intend to provide additional support of approximately US$8 million towards urban resilience interventions in the coming years, with Bulawayo among the cities expected to benefit,” said Rey.
The Swiss Embassy together with the council are working towards revamping the Highlanders Safe Market place and the initiative is being implemented in partnership with DanChurchAid.
Switzerland has already contributed US$200,000 towards the project, which aims to provide Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with access to decent working spaces.
The new market will feature state-of-the-art vendor stalls, ablution facilities, paved walkways and additional retail shops.
Rey said the initiative reflects Switzerland’s conviction that development should be inclusive and people-centred.
“Today is about more than infrastructure, it is about people, dignity and recognising the extraordinary resilience of this city,” he said.
The Ambassador described Bulawayo as a city defined by determination and social solidarity despite economic challenges, adding that the informal sector plays a critical role in sustaining livelihoods.
“The informal sector contributes approximately 58 percent of employment in the city and supports nearly 50,000 traders and their families.
“These are not just statistics, but mothers, fathers and young people striving to provide for their communities amidst various challenges,” he said.
Rey said informal traders were indispensable to the country’s urban economy and deserved recognition and support.
During the tour, the ambassador noted that many traders continue to operate under difficult conditions characterised by inadequate structures, poor sanitation, unreliable water supply, congestion and unsafe trading spaces.
He said women and children were disproportionately affected by the lack of sanitary facilities, proper lighting and secure environments.
“The next phase of this initiative focuses on direct participatory infrastructure development that is modular, gender-sensitive and informed by consultations with traders themselves,” said Rey.
He indicated that the project would prioritise sustainable solar lighting, sanitation facilities, reliable water supply, drainage systems and improved accessibility for persons with disabilities.
He commended the local authority for responding to the growing number of informal traders by expanding market infrastructure.
“This project reflects pragmatic leadership aligned with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy(NDS 2), particularly its emphasis on inclusive growth, local economic development and social protection,” he said.
Rey said the success of the project would not only be measured by the infrastructure constructed, but by the restored dignity and opportunities created for traders and residents.
“May the Highlanders Market become a symbol of what partnership and shared purpose can achieve. May it give traders a dignified place to work, buyers a safe place to shop and Bulawayo another engine for economic activity,” he said
City mayor Davis Coltart described the Swiss funding as a crucial catalyst for the city’s wider plans to modernise trading infrastructure and improve sanitation, safety and business conditions for traders.
“So what we plan to do with this money is to take your US$200,000 to build a cover of a part of that market as a first phase,” he said.
“Our long-term goal is to see that the entire area covered so that people are protected from the elements, to have smooth concrete floors so that it’s easy to clean and hygienic, to have marked bays, upgraded toilets and ideally solar panels to generate electricity and provide lighting.”
“The city’s long-term vision was to establish organised markets on the periphery of the city to address the growing number of informal vendors operating along Fifth and Sixth avenues under difficult conditions,” said the mayor
