By By Ntombi Mhlongo
His Majesty King Mswati III has urged local businesses to come together and work on strategies that will enable them to benefit from the around E500 billion that has been placed by Japan for African countries. Speaking at the dinner that was organised by the Shiselweni Business Community, the King gave the challenge to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Trade to see to it that committees of businesses from the country’s four regions are formed and strategies are put in place for them to benefit from the finances availed by Japan.
“We must take this seriously because it means good business ventures have been availed to the country’s government and the private sector. It is upon us to find a way of participating especially because there have been pledges made to assist start-up businesses”.
Meanwhile, the King applauded the different organisations which have come together to implement regional projects, especially in the Shiselweni Region.
He said the government, in collaboration with the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and World Vision, is strongly determined to improve the livelihood of emaSwati.
He said this has been illustrated by the projects undertaken by the Eswatini Water Services Corporation (EWSC) and the Rural Electrification Project through the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC).
“Such development will change the landscape of the region, as we have commissioned other projects in the past during our visit here”.
The King spoke strongly about the upcoming water project being undertaken in the region and emphasised that besides awarding the tender to a company that has the technical capacity, it was key to ensure that subcontractors from the Shiselweni Region are involved.
“We look to the completion of the dam so that challenges faced by the community can be addressed. Involving the sub-contractors from the region will empower them financially so we encourage them to not shy away from the project,” the King said.
On another note, the King highlighted that the Gege-Sicunusa Road remains critical for the movement of goods, services, and people.
He said the completion of the road will add the required impetus to the region.
