Women’s participation in construction grows

THE Zimbabwe Builders Contractors Association (ZBCA) says women’s participation in the country’s construction sector has grown significantly following some interventions by various groups to improve gender equity in the male-dominated industry.
ZBCA president Petros Kagwere recently told The Financial Gazette that the organisation has established a desk that looks after women’s welfare within the industry.
“We are encouraging women to come on board, and from our association, we have now managed to have quite a number because… we have a system where we encourage, educate and assist women in the industry,” Kagwere said.
Speaking on the same issue, the Zimbabwe Construction Industry Association president, Tsitsi Dzvukamanja, urged the government to put measures in place to ensure gender equity in the sector.

“Demographically, it is proven that women are in the majority compared to men. This is not reflective of the sector. In the built environment sector, men are in the majority, with women marginalised,” Dzvukamanja said.
Meanwhile, Kagwere hailed the government’s support for local contractors.
“The government has been doing very well in terms of support. Right now, there is massive construction going on all over the country.
“Currently, the government has taken a positive step, whereas local contractors are something we are very excited about, we are very grateful to the government that we are seeing the right support, especially since these major projects are done by local contractors,” he said.
“By and large, we are very grateful to the government for the support. One noticeable thing is the improvement that the government has made by requiring that a local contractor be engaged to do these projects. That’s a very noble idea and the results are phenomenal.”
He emphasised that the industry should continue to lobby and engage the government to continue supporting the sector, particularly in terms of payments, because if contractors are paid on time, the assigned projects can also be completed on time.
The industry is currently lobbying for a construction bank, which is expected to deal with its financial problems by offering long-term loans.
The construction industry contributes over 30 percent to the country’s gross domestic product.
Growth in the industry is expected to remain high at 5,7 percent this year, albeit lower than an estimate of 10,5 percent in 2022.
“The anticipated growth is underpinned by ongoing national developmental projects currently being implemented by the government, as well as private sector construction projects nationwide.
“The sector has acted as a haven against inflation,” Dzvukamanja added.
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