Governação participativa no município de Maputo: um olhar sobre os mecanismos de participação dos comerciantes informais no processo de requalificação do comércio informal do mercado do Xipamanine no contexto da eclosão da pandemia do Covid-19 (2019-2023)

Abstract

This research is based around the theme “Participatory governance in the Municipality of Maputo: a look at the mechanisms of participation of informal traders in the process of requalifying informal commerce (2019-2023)”. It is a basic, qualitative research, whose data were collected through semi-structured interviews with key representatives of Directorate of Markets and Fairs of Council of the Municipal City of Maputo (CMCM), managers, traders and users of the Xipamanine market. The research is based on finding that in the Municipality of Maputo, during the process of requalifying informal commerce in the Xipamanine market in 2020, there was low participation by informal traders, which result in the project not being implemented. Starting from the identified problem, he following question was formulated: How did the participation mechanisms of informal traders impacted the initiative to requalify informal trade in the Xipamanine market? To carry out the research, two theoretical perspectives were mobilized, namely, the theory of deliberative democracy and the pluralist theory. Understanding the data showed that the participation mechanisms created within the scope of requalification, consultation, public consultations, seminars and technical forums, were not sufficient to guarantee a significant participation of informal traders in the requalification process. Lack of access to information, exclusion, and distrust in decisions made undermined the ability of informal traders to participate effectively and influence decisions related do redevelopment.