Meet the Young Entrepreneurs Rebuilding Bulawayo From Within
By lwazi.siband@gmail.com
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🕑 1 min read
A new generation of Bulawayo entrepreneurs is refusing to accept the narrative of a city in decline. Instead, they are building businesses, creating jobs, and investing their energy in a city they believe has enormous unrealised potential.
From tech startups operating out of shared co-working spaces in the CBD, to small-scale manufacturers reviving industrial skills in the old Donnington district, the energy is unmistakable.
People write off Bulawayo but we see opportunity everywhere. The cost of doing business here is lower, the talent pool is deep, and the community spirit is unmatched.
Nkosi Dube, Digital Marketing Agency
Key to this revival is the Bulawayo Young Entrepreneurs Network (BYEN), which provides mentorship, micro-financing access, and co-working resources to under-35s starting businesses in the city. Since its founding in 2021, BYEN has supported over 120 new ventures.
The network runs a quarterly pitch competition with a prize pool of USD 5,000 — attracting entrants from across the Matabeleland region and occasionally from the diaspora, who pitch remotely.