My name is Wisborn Malaya. I am the Secretary General of Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA). I became full time in this position from 2016 to this date after having joined ZCIEA as a member in 2002 when it was founded. During my experience in ZCIEA as the Secretary-General, I have spearheaded the organization’s growth in membership and structures from 12 Chapters when the organization was formed to 365 Chapters and 46 Territories today. The organization is now across all the 10 provinces of Zimbabwe with a participating membership base of 298000. It now carries a lot of local, regional, and international recognition for its efforts to address the challenges facing the informal workers. I have also grown to become a key resource person in organizing the informal economy workers due to the rich experience I have gained through the work we have done under ZCIEA. Now in ZCIEA I administer a leadership of 2430 people covering Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities Structures. I am a team player who believes in results-based leadership. I am a GLU Alumni ENGAGE 2013 (WITS) and Reagan Fiscal Foundation (NED) Fellow (March 2022 to July 2022).

I am a seasoned and passionate informal workers’ activist, a good motivator, a supporter of other people’s ideas, and a champion of transforming the lives of vulnerable poor workers and traders in the informal economy. I adjust to all weather operational conditions, and an open-minded, independent, and positive thinker.
Highly interactive and visionary facilitator, a team player who easily cultivates team cohesion and good rapport to achieve set tasks. Believes in solidarity networks that support and promote a high standard of work. I have travelled extensively in line with the work of informal workers’ advocacy and transformation. SOUTH AFRICA, ZAMBIA, MALAWI, NAMIBIA, SWAZILAND, BOTSWANA, KENYA, TANZANIA, ETHIOPIA, BENIN, INDONESIA, CHILE, NEPAL, USA, ITALY, CANADA, INDIA, KYRGYZSTAN, GUINEA, GHANA, UNITED KINGDOM, NETHERLANDS, SWITZERLAND, NIGERIA, RWANDA, FRANCE, COTE-DEVOURE, have been in a number of key international work committees between 2013 and 2023 representing the interests of informal economy workers and traders.

My organisation’s Mission and vision of transforming informal economy activities into mainstream activities and decent standards of living for informal economy workers and traders in a stable economy are the key push factors for my desire to serve on the IFWEA Board. Over the years I have learned that there is still a lot to be done to make the key pillars of the world economic movement to understand the transformation of the informal economy. This is a huge space where I have seen IFWEA reaching out through online education and advocacy. I then noticed that my presence on the IFWEA Board would add value to the workers in the informal economy and meaningful participation. I want to advocate for IFWEA to keep expanding its education and advocacy empowerment to as many informal workers’ organisations as we re-unite to re-strengthen the workers’ movement to reclaim decent work.

So, by being part of the Board, I will be pushing and supporting ideas that continue to expand the education and advocacy hubs of IFWEA to keep reaching and transforming many lives of workers in the informal economy across the globe. I will also be a team player to promote unity of purpose, solidarity, and policy influence for better recognition of informal economy workers as workers and not enemies of their states. I also take advantage of my experience of having been a Board member for the past four year period.