MBABANE - Business Eswatini (BE) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have set an ambitious development agenda for 2026.
This places the private sector at the centre of job creation, youth empowerment and environmental sustainability in the kingdom.
This followed a high-level engagement held last week, between Business Eswatini Chief Executive Officer Nathi Dlamini and UNDP Resident Representative Henrik Franklin, aimed at mapping out a coordinated private sector strategy aligned with Eswatini’s national development priorities.
Business Eswatini described the engagement as a landmark meeting setting strategic vision for job creation, conservation and youth empowerment through private sector collaboration.
The meeting, described by participants as both strategic and forward-looking, underscored a shared belief that closer collaboration between development partners and business leaders is essential to unlocking inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
BE Head of Trade and Commerce Musa Maseko also participated, providing economic insights that helped frame the proposed areas of cooperation.
Speaking during the engagement, Franklin emphasised that the private sector remains a critical, but sometimes underutilised partner in addressing Eswatini’s structural challenges, particularly unemployment and skills shortages.
He noted that well-designed public–private partnerships have the potential to create jobs, while simultaneously protecting the country’s natural environment.
At the heart of the discussions was a renewed commitment to align private sector initiatives with government priorities as outlined in the national Grand Plan.
Both BE and UNDP indicated that their partnership would deliberately target areas with high multiplier effects, including industrial development, youth employment and conservation-driven economic activity.
Environmental sustainability emerged as a central pillar of the proposed collaboration. The meeting reflected on a pilot conservation partnership between UNDP and CONCO at the Lusushwane River, launched at Lozitha towards the end of 2025.
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Supporting local entrepreneurship
MBABANE - The engagement further highlighted the importance of nurturing local enterprises, particularly start-ups and small businesses.
The Ingelo Local Certification Scheme, implemented in collaboration with the Made in Eswatini initiative, was cited as a practical tool for helping emerging businesses gain visibility and credibility in the market.
Through Ingelo, certified local businesses are able to showcase their products and services, improving their chances of accessing both corporate supply chains and broader consumer markets.
The success of Scoops and Giggles, a creative ice-cream start-up and one of 25 companies supported during the Ingelo pilot phase, was presented as evidence of the programme’s potential to stimulate grassroots innovation.
Over E300 000 was allocated as an investment to assist the first 20 MSMEs under this scheme with their training, product testing and other requirements to complete their certification processes. This certification scheme work through various standards including a new national cottage standard which is currently being developed by SWASA. This standard will ensure that the production sites and procedures or systems are safe and adhere to quality standards.
It is worth noting that currently, Eswatini lacks accredited laboratories to test products, forcing the regulatory body, Eswatini Standards Authority (SWASA) to rely on facilities in neighbouring countries, which makes certification costs prohibitive for local MSMEs.
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Business Eswatini Chief Executive Officer Nathi Dlamini (R) and UNDP Resident Representative Henrik Franklin. (Courtesy pic)