Merge EIPA and SEDCO – Lutfo

LOBAMBA – Ndzingeni Member of Parliament Lutfo Dlamini suggested that the EIPA and SEDCO be merged into one entity in a bid to consolidate the resources.

EIPA is the acronym for Eswatini Investment and Trade Promotion Authority, while SEDCO is an acronym for Small Enterprises Development Company.

Dlamini said the two entities should also have one Board of directors to drive their Majesties vision of 2023 as being the ‘Year of Turn Around’.

He said the two entities could combine the staff and assets to ensure that the vision was achieved at lightning speed. KuMethula MP Derrick Masuku and MP BigBoy Mamba were all concerned about the criterion that was being used for constituencies to have a factory shell.

Development

The legislatures called for the ministry to continue with the decentralisation of the jobs to assist in rural development.

The MPs said the notion to only build factory shells closer to tarred roads was discriminatory and must be stopped so that the areas without tarred roads could also benefit.

Mamba also disclosed the buzz words which were dialogue and unemployment. He said both subjects were interlinked. “Eswatini must ensure that there are regional bridging courses for the unemployed youth. The escalating youth unemployment rate has grown extra ordinary high for a small country like ours and graduates can benefit from the courses of interest. Educated minds lying idle are very dangerous,” said Mamba.

He further encouraged the ministry to do a diligent study to ensure factory shells were not white elephants. Mamba also applauded the ministry’s ease of doing business and the decentralisation of services.

Meanwhile, Manzini South MP Thandi Nxumalo applauded the ministry and said it should be praised for their visible job creation results.

Warned

She also warned the ministry against concentrating on luring only the textile and apparel industry but also looking at other manufacturing products. However, Nxumalo also said she was concerned with the Agri-business challenges that were faced by farmers. She called for the ministry to ensure that farmers were assisted with the regulation of pricing.

She said the market should not determine the price they could buy the product but that should be informed with expenses incurred. She said such unfair business practices were discouraging emaSwati in the farming business.

She also called for the ministry to empower emaSwati on how they could tap into the different businesses with buying of shares as consortiums or cooperatives.