Search results for 'informal economy'
Zimbabwe
Zim's Licensing Burden: Over 25 Licenses, Permits Required to Operate One Supermarket
Operating a single supermarket in Zimbabwe requires over 25 licenses and permits, making it challenging for businesses to operate. This is despite the mantra, Zimbabwe is open for business. These li
Sep 24, 2024
Zimbabwe
ZiG’s Weekly Review as Stability Remains in Focus: Is This a Turning Point or a False Dawn?
The Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) experienced marginal declines, depreciating by 0.1% last week and further by 0.2% this week, closing at 23.3656 against the US dollar. This relative stability is largely attri
Jan 31, 2025
Opinion
Mad Money Muse Zimbabwe’s Economic Soap Opera, Episode 3 – Cash, Brides, and Army Bridesmaids
Picture this: Wicknell Chivhayo, Zimbabwe’s tender-preneur extraordinaire, struts into the lobola negotiations with a briefcase stuffed with US$100,000 in crisp greenbacks. In a country where most fol
Mar 26, 2025
Zimbabwe
A Look into Zimbabwe’s Street Vending Ban: Economic Formalisation vs. Informal Livelihoods
In early August 2025, Zimbabwe’s government issued a one-month ultimatum to ban street vending and second-hand clothing sales, aiming to formalise the economy and enhance urban order. This policy has
Aug 21, 2025
World
Africa Ranks as Epicentre of Child Poverty, Yet Possesses 30% of Global Rare Riches: An Analysis
The past decade has witnessed gradual but persistent progress in reducing extreme child poverty globally, yet children remain disproportionately affected by poverty compared to adults. Despite advanc
Sep 24, 2025
Companies
AFDIS Delivers Explosive Q3: Festive Demand, Anti-Illicit Crackdown Fuels 64% Volume Surge, 62% Revenue Jump
AFDIS, the Zimbabwean producer of spirits, wines, and ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, reported robust third-quarter performance amid a stabilizing economic backdrop, with volumes surging 64% year-over
Feb 02, 2026
Companies
More Duty, Less Revenue: How Zambia's Tobacco Crackdown Built a Black Market Instead
BAT Zambia, the country's only listed tobacco manufacturer and the dominant player in Zambia's formal cigarette market, has reported a year in which profit grew but the business shrank, a paradox that
Mar 14, 2026
Zimbabwe
Is Zimbabwe’s Insurance Sector Missing the Market That Now Defines the Economy?
Zimbabwe's insurance penetration rate stands at approximately 2%, below the Sub-Saharan Africa average of 2.8% and less than a third of the global average of 6%. This figure was cited in the 2024 annu
Apr 27, 2026
Zambia
Zambia’s Unemployment Falls: But the 9.9% Rate Masks a Deeper Working Poverty Crisis
The Zambia Statistics Agency has reported a decline in the country's official unemployment rate to 9.9%, down from 12.9% in 2021 and from 12.6% recorded in the 2022 Labour Force Survey. This was dis
Apr 27, 2026
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Cuts Banking Costs: New Reforms Target MSME Formalisation, ZiG Adoption
For years, the cost of formal banking has pushed Zimbabwe's MSME economy into cash and informality. The financial sector reforms announced on 12 May directly attack that dynamic. Their success will be
May 13, 2026
Top Stories
Zimbabwe Heads for Third Consecutive Wheat Record: ARDA Grows Nearly Half as National Plantings Hit 133k Hectares
Zimbabwe has planted 106% of its 125,000 hectare winter wheat target, up from 101% at the same point in 2025, taking the national area to roughly 132,500 hectares. The Agricultural and Rural Developme
Jul 23, 2026Afdis’ Q1 Revenue Hits 47% of Last Year’s Full Year on Volume Boom, Grey Market Crackdown
Spirits and Wines maker, African Distillers has grown the first quarter revenue by 47% to USD 27.9 million on volumes 43% ahead of the comparable quarter, taking a single quarter's turnover to 46.7
Jul 23, 2026From Household Security to Breadbasket:How Pfumvudza Can Unlock Zimbabwe’s Agricultural Scale
Zimbabwe's Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme has done what it was designed to do, delivering a bumper harvest, turning Zimbabwe’s 2024 cereal deficit story into a surplus one. The 2025/26 summer season pro
Jul 22, 2026
