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Manufacturing Commerce & Mining
Soon thereafter, Finance Minister Rijkenberg spoke of the empowerment of citizens and the provision of incentives for MSMEs, saying that the country needs to leverage on MSMEs’ potential to build an economy that works for everyone, and “it is essential that we create new jobs, protect and grow existing businesses and attract foreign direct investment”. …
Healthcare
His Budget Speech continued with the affirmation that significant investment has been made by government and development partners in the health sector during the COVID-19 response. Major investments were said to include: • Repurposing of the National TB Hospital in Manzini • Construction of oxygen plants at the Luke Commission and Lubombo Hospital • Installation …
Environmental Management
The situation thus calls for multi-tiered strategies, the statement continued, if Eswatini’s cities, towns and villages are to be freed from waste, as littering in the face of legislation has already had an adverse impact on the nation’s environment, health and economy. It cited poor waste management as a result of littering and illegal dumping …
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Free Primary Education (FPE) – also referred to as ‘State-funded education’ – was introduced in all of Eswatini’s public primary schools a little more than a decade ago. The Finance Minister in his 2022/23 Budget Speech referred to the FPE initiative as being viewed as a “consolidated programme, aimed at creating a conducive environment that …
Banking, Finance & Insurance
When the Minister of Finance, Neal Rijkenberg, delivered his Budget Speech for 2022/23, he reassured Parliament and the nation that the financial sector remained resilient to the economic disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This was despite the pandemic continuing to present a challenging operating-environment for the banking sector, he said – wherein credit and …
Communications
The Finance Minister disclosed in his 2022/23 Budget Speech that government had amalgamated its Computer Services department with the Royal Science and Technology Park, which will promote the availability of all ICT resources centrally, minimise duplication, eliminate working in silos, and ensure that e-Government initiatives are fast-tracked. He also revealed that a price-benchmarking study – …
Transport Infrastructure
The PM pointed out that the current poor state of the country’s road network did not reflect a lack of effort, as the Administration had been forging ahead with robust maintenance plans to improve the country’s roads infrastructure: “The heavy rains which are so welcome in the agricultural sector have been a drawback on roads …
Agriculture
As regards agriculture, the NDP lists as sectoral Key Achievements, Strengths and Opportunities: • Sugarcane: The sugar industry continues to be a key contributor to agricultural output and the economy at large through its backward and forward linkages to other sectors. A total of 9 000 new ha of irrigated land has been developed …