Data Against All Odds: Living Wages in Zimbabwe and Africa

1 June 2026

Living Wages In Zimbabwe And Across Africa: What It Takes To Get The Numbers Right

Data collection can sometimes feel more like venturing into the unknown than a job. It's the kind of story you'd never expect to find in a report, but it's real, and real people make it possible.

Collecting data to calculate Living Wages in Zimbabwe and across Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Africa, as well as two Asian countries, requires a lot of work. After many years, the process has become straightforward. However, in some cases you could find yourself navigating civil war zones, caught up in floods, or covering vast distances by road because planes are simply not an option.

If you ask Guide and Jacob how they manage to lead their team of data collectors, they will tell you that it's all about communication, trust , as well as paying their wages on time. What’s striking is that the team in question is made up of slightly over 100 people from 24 countries (markets), spanning from Sudan to South Africa. A battle-tested system shaped by years of hard-won experience and collaboration - and boat trips to places they hadn't planned to visit.

Who Collects Data On Living Wages In Zimbabwe And Other African Countries

Since becoming Regional Manager of the WageIndicator Living Wages project in Zimbabwe in 2022, Guide has built an increasingly large team of 'price specialists' with the assistance of his supervisor, Jacob. This team collects and reports on data on a quarterly basis. This first-hand information on food, utilities, housing, and transport is essential for calculating Living Wages in Zimbabwe and other countries. To provide accurate insights, though, it is vital that the team is coordinated and supported throughout the process. This is where Guide and Jacob’s role begin. 'We now have 48 active data collectors. Many others are on standby, though: if we are given an area that is far from the active data collectors' base, we need to find someone closer by to reduce transport costs. So ultimately we rely on at least six collectors per country.’ Having such an extensive team actually sounds reasonable, given the remarkable stretch of Africa their reach spans: from Sudan and South Sudan in the Northeast, sweeping through East Africa with Uganda, Malawi, Somalia, Mauritius, Tanzania, and Madagascar, across to Liberia and Ivory Coast in the West, and all the way down to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia in the South. On top of that, they also oversee remote teams in Thailand and Malaysia. All told, 24 countries and slightly more than 100 data collectors to reach out to and coordinate with. ‘The youngest is 20 and the oldest is 40,’ says Jacob, revealing that the job requires energy, adaptability, but also quite a lot of preparation. ‘Most of them are highly educated. We want them to understand the survey tool we use and why we use it. Also, when they talk to respondents, we need them to collect and compile the answers and prices properly.’

Calculating Living Wages In Zimbabwe: Tuck Shops and Mixed Currencies

Tuck shops are currently the most popular places to shop in Zimbabwe. Many supermarkets are closing down, as Guide explains: ‘A tuck-shop is around 20 square metres in size and sells a number of goods. Families can find items from other countries or from different manufacturers. If you want to do your shopping in bulk, you go there because, even if the prices are in US dollars, the items are much cheaper than the original supermarkets.’

The Zimbabwe Gold or ZiG became the official currency in 2024, but the economy and day-to-day life continue to operate using a mixed currency system, with the US dollar particularly prevalent in the northern part of Zimbabwe. 'In the southern part the two main currencies are the South African Rand (ZAR) and the Botswana Pula (BWP). Very few people want to use the ZiG for trade, and most workers across the country are paid in US dollars because it is a more stable currency and the exchange rate is favourable.'

Shopping activities follow a similar pattern in other countries. ‘Big supermarkets buy goods from manufacturers at wholesale prices and are then forced to sell them on at a lower price. But in Somalia, for example, people mainly go to the market, where all kinds of goods are sold. There are no permanent structures inside, just tables, and it's the cheapest place to shop from”.

For other categories, such as utilities, data collectors typically ask the head of the household or any resident aged 18 or over.

Floods, Road Checks, And Boat Trips: The Compelling Side Of Collecting Living Wage Data From Sudan To South Africa

Data collectors must navigate a different reality in each country. ’In Sudan, for example, data collectors are not permitted to travel between regions. Road checks along the way prevent them from doing so,’ Jacob says.

Weather hazards add another layer of difficulty: ‘When Madagascar was hit by floods, our data collectors were unable to travel between regions and had to wait for the floods to subside before road transport could resume. Thailand was hit by an earthquake during the third quarter of 2025, and we had to change the region.’

In Tanzania, the internet was completely shut down during the 2025 elections, severely hindering communication. ‘The government officials thought people were sharing false information, which would destabilise the peace in the country.’

In some cases, challenges can give data collection an exploratory dimension, as Guide recalls: ‘A company needed data in the province of Bioko Norte in Equatorial Guinea. As it is located on a remote island off the coast of Cameroon, our team had to travel there by ship, spend a week collecting data, and then return home. Also, using the ship is expensive, and it only travels to this region on specific days.’ What might otherwise seem like a routine process becomes far more compelling.

Living Wages in Zimbabwe and Beyond: How Communication Makes the Difference

As part of the WageIndicator Living Wage project, the team is called to collect cost of living data in Zimbabwe and across Africa on a quarterly basis. Before each quarter begins, Guide and Jacob review any problems encountered in the previous quarter and how they were addressed, to ensure that the same issues do not arise again. Supervisors in each country are also there to take a load off their minds. Jacob explains that they provide regular updates on the number of interviews conducted per day and the balances. ‘We don't want the data collectors to conduct more than eight interviews per day. It would be too taxing.’

Proper and organised communication is essential for everything to be possible: ‘We are in constant touch with the team, and WhatsApp is our channel of choice,’ Jacob adds. This way, if anything happens, such as a sudden cost increase, flooding that interrupts data collection, discrepancies in prices, or any other problems, they will be aware of it. A well-oiled machine has been built on years of collaboration and problem-solving.

The Effort Behind Accurate Living Wage Data Throughout Africa

Communication is not only a means of nurturing trust, but also of guaranteeing data accuracy. ‘If there are changes to specific products, the team informs us,’ Jacob explains. ‘At the start of a new week, they might say, 'Yesterday, we heard that the prices were this much, but today, the prices are that much.' When shops run promotions, they always make a note of it and explain why the price has gone down for precision's sake.’

Jacob adds that, while out in the field, data collectors are also asked to take photos of products in shops and share them via our project WhatsApp group that we have created: ‘We send two people to the same shops in every region, each carrying out their own data collection. If one person submits an incorrect price, it will be obvious when we compare it with the price submitted by the other person. If we query the prices when we look at the data, we ask the collectors to go back to the shops and check again.’ ‘This is especially necessary when dealing with frequently changing prices, such as those for bread, sugar and other basic products,’ Guide stresses. 'Utilities don't change so frequently because they are regulated by the government. The same applies to housing prices: you may go six months without any changes.'

Years On, And Still Going: Data Collectors Keep Living Wage Research Alive In Africa

Despite all the obstacles, some interviewers have been working alongside Guide and Jacob since the project began. ‘They feel that data collection is very important because they have actually seen wage increases in their regions as a result of this project.’ The unemployment rate in most countries is so high that the opportunity to work on this project is an added bonus.

It goes beyond the payslip, though: ‘We also want our interviewers to establish rapport with the respondents.’ Guide says. ‘If they establish a good relationship with every respondent, they will feel comfortable talking to you about any subject. So it's important that they take care of this during every visit or interview.'