Africa-Press – Eswatini. The completion of the controversial International Convention Centre and Five Star Hotel (ICC&FISH) has been given a two-year extension.
The two-year extension is part of the amendments to an existing financing agreement between the EXIM Bank of Taiwan and the Government of Eswatini. This means that the project is expected to be complete in 2025. The finalised amendments were signed by the Minister of Finance, Neal Rijkenberg and the Taiwan Ambassador to Eswatini, Jeremy Liang on Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Finance, this amendments will allow Eswatini to continue accessing funding for the completion of ongoing capital projects in the country. It is worth noting that one of those projects funded by the EXIM Bank of Taiwan is the ICC & FISH. The project has been estimated to cost around E7 billion upon completion.
When further probed about these amendments, Communications Officer in the Ministry of Finance, Setsabile Dlamini said the amendments include the change of name from Swaziland to Eswatini. It was also for a two year extension for the completion of the project,” said Dlamini. The project referred to is the ICC&FISH. She stated that by extension, she meant the time frame for the completion of the project, as initially the project should have been complete by now but it was not, hence the extension. When this project commenced in 2012, government estimated that it would cost around E370 million; with the ICC expected to set the taxpayer back by E290 million and the FISH anticipated to be completed for the amount of E80 million.
Then, the FISH was referred to as the Millennium Hotel. That financial year (2012/2013), E65 million and E80 million in local funds for the ICC and Millennium Hotel were released, respectively.
Project
Fast forward to 2021 – nine years later – the project is still ongoing and the cost is far beyond the E370 million; this figure is now a mere fraction of what this project is now forecasted to cost. It is no longer millions but billions that are now synonymous with this infrastructure development. The ICC&FISH project stands on land said to measure 40 000 square metres and the convention centre will host up to 4 500 delegates; while the five-star hotel linked to it currently has about 283 rooms on six floors. The Book of Government Budget Estimates for the years from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2024, which Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg tabled in Parliament alongside the Appropriation Bill, shows that the ICC&FISH is now projected to cost the country an estimated E7 billion.
During his first meeting with his staff after appointment, Minister of Economic Planning and Development Dr Tambo Gina said government wanted the ICC&FISH to be completed. Gina tasked the ministry senior officials and staff with ensuring the completion of ICC&FISH and the new Parliament buildin,g among other lagging government programmes within the allocated time. He said these projects were imperative to the economy of the country as they added value. The minister added that the two projects were also important in promoting the country to tourist and investors. He said Eswatini has Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policies which also required a good image for the country. “The two projects need to be completed in time so that they can be of use in our economy and we can in turn benefit from them,” he said.
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