EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TO BOOST ESWATINI BUSINESSES

EZULWINI – “You find many decisions made by people are of the heart rather than the head.”

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF), Langalakhe Dlamini, made this statement in reference to the lack of emotional intelligence in decision-making processes by entrepreneurs, businesses and institutions.

This, therefore, he said warranted greater attention be given to mentorship programmes because intelligence was a requirement for building productive relationship and maintaining strategic alliances.

He bared this during the panel discussion at the Junior Achievement Eswatini fundraising dinner held at the Happy Valley Hotel in Ezulwini last Friday.
He primarily focused on the importance of having mentorship that would go beyond the conventional emphasis of technical and tactic professional guidance, it must also encompass the pivotal aspect of any person’s well-being, vis-à-vis emotional aptitude.

Mentorship

Dlamini added that mentorship was a powerful tool for Corporate Social Investment (CSI).
The bifold advantage was that for mentees they could learn and acclimatise to the demands of their intended field of passion, while for companies it would be investing in future actors in the industry. One suggestion tabled by Dlamini was that business institutions should dedicate days in a month for the guru-ship.
He further encouraged government and the private sector to support JA Eswatini as it immensely contributed to the development of the human capital, from a young age, in the kingdom.

On this panel, Dlamini was joined by the Chief Executive (CE) of Standard Bank, Mvuselelo Fakudze, who mainly spoke on the status and opportunities within entrepreneurship; and Victor Langa from African Alliance, who delved on the critical role that financial literacy had in shaping business rationale and prudence.
Langa stressed on the need and improvement of one’s personal finance management, especially from a young age. He noted that such literacy would make starting a business and running it easier as financial discipline is the horse to the product-filled cart.

Landscapes

“The more people know about financial processes and landscapes, it is the more they will make calculated decisions,” said Langa.
He said this knowledge would enable the bearers to appreciate investing through the urge to know more thus do more. Langa then encouraged young entrepreneurs to watch financial television programmes to further educate themselves.

He concluded that stakeholders need to do more to support JA implement more of its progressive programmes with the assistance of the media to showcase the productions and publications of our talented youth.
The CE conversed about the role the private sector could play by providing skills and knowledge to budding entrepreneurs and giving access to their services and products to regional and international markets.

He added that the sector could help raise finance for promising projects especially in agriculture.
“However, the biggest risk for a bank is financing a business case that is, or never been, operational,” highlighted Fakudze.
Even though the money saved in the bank belonged to customers, he retained assurance for young entrepreneurs that finance would be provided for viable business plans.

Lastly, he applauded JA Eswatini for the amazing work it was doing for the business community and youth in this important epoch in the country’s history.

Fund-raising

The fund-raising event ended with some of the JA products sold to attendees like the herbal soap and perfumed Vaseline by Manzini Nazarene High School and a testimonial by Dvokolwako High School pupils on the progress of their cooperative.

Gratitude was expressed by JA Eswatini Executive Director Siboniso Madlopha to the companies that had bought tables, which include FINCORP, with two tables and the following with only one: Standard Bank, Inyatsi Construction, EswatiniBank, Tibiyo TakaNgwane, Montigny, Royal Swaziland Sugar Corporation (RSSC), SEDCO, Swaziland National Provident Fund and Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (SMVAF).

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