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MBABANE – Business Eswatini (BE) is of the view that the issue of energy security and the urgency thereof cannot be overstated.
BE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nathi Dlamini said the issue of the baseload cannot be outsourced any longer, it needed to be domesticated for reasons that go beyond geopolitical implications.
“As the private sector, we are vigorously pushing green projects that we think would lend themselves to the minister’s pronouncements on energy. Equally, we hope this energy mix will
MBABANE – “ICT forms the backbone of business and it is one of the key catalysts for innovation and, therefore, development.”
This was mentioned by Business Eswatini (BE) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nathi Dlamini yesterday when unpacking the budget speech.
Dlamini said investment in relevant infrastructure and the adoption of the latest technologies was no longer an option, but a necessity given the emergence of the new world of work, which would be predicated on digital solutions.
He said assessing the need for and the cost of ICT services was a conversation that was now urgent given the rapid changes observed, not only in the world of work, but also in the manner in which commerce was being conducted.
The CEO said COVID-19 forced a process, whereby education would increasingly migrate from traditional classrooms to digital platforms; a trend that would be unstoppable going forward.
“No sector in the economy will be left unaffected by the digital wave going forward. Which is why being prepared will ensure that this country maintains its competitiveness in the transformed be consistent with the national NDC’s (Nationally Determined Contribution) that the country promised under the Paris Accord to COP26 regarding the reduction of greenhouse gases,” he said.
Understood
The CEO mentioned that the matter of the strategic oil reserve, which the minister spoke about, had not been understood by the private sector before.
He said they were pleased that, after consultation with a wider network of stakeholders, ENPC in particular, they were now generally aligned.
“Given the sporadic and pervasive disruptions in fuel supply this country has experienced in the past two years, and the deleterious economic impact it has had on business, we feel a fuel strategic reserve is tactically important.
“That being said, we are happy that we already have strong, competent oil companies of international repute in the country,” he added.
Dlamini also alluded to the fact that mining holds huge prospects for this country, both from the point of view of employment creation and export opportunities; however, he said these economic environment,” he added.
Dlamini added that it was for this reason that they were excited about the prospect of a new entrant in the ICT space, which they hoped would augment the services provided by the current incumbents and other providers as opposed to disrupting them.
“We hope that the issue of the international gateway will become topical as the matter of deregulation. This is more so because the cost of ICT services in this
He said the pronouncement of the Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) would ensure that they further develop this sector and take advantage of the opportunities that lie within the value chains.
“The agriculture business sector is led by the private sector and as such, we feel it would be beneficial to have the private sector represented as a member of the committee charged
country remains extremely high and does not augur well for economic and social development insofar as the cost of doing business in this country is concerned,” he added.
The CEO further mentioned that data integrity was becoming another crucial matter in this country, and the security and interface protocols across regions were all matters that needed to be discussed with urgency.
Encouraged
prospects were undermined by the existing policy framework, which is not attractive to both local and international investors.
The CEO also mentioned that agriculture was one of the critical sectors driving the economy, and continued investment in it is wise.
He added that they were encouraged to see the increased budget allocation to the ICT sector and hoped that a good portion of it would be allocated to the acquisition of essential infrastructure geared towards improving government services and private sector development.
In his budget speech, the Minister of Finance, Neal Rijkenberg mentioned that in the 2022–2023 financial year, special focus has been on the rollout of e-payment for government services through the Mobile Money (MoMo) platform.
He said it was planned that the payment of more services would be extended to the e-banking platform in the 2023–2024 financial year. “The government has also extended wireless network coverage to remote government service centres on 20 government sites in different parts of the kingdom,” he added.
Develop
Twith overseeing the fund,” he added.
Meanwhile, Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg mentioned that the government, through the Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority (ESERA) has approved the implementation of the 75MW solar PV, the 13.6MW Lower Maguduza hydropower plant, the 3 MW Maguga Expansion, and the Lower Maguga Hydro Power Plants.
80MW of biomass power generation capacity, in addition to the already approved 40MW, has been assessed and confirmed viable for an additional generation.
He said the country was also assessing the market for the development of wind generation capacity. All these projects are expected to add to the installed capacity.
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