Africa-Press – Eswatini. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade is set to accelerate implementation of current and pipeline projects.
In order to create more jobs and improve the country’s economy. The Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Manqoba Khumalo, has hinted that over 10 pipeline projects are expected to go live this year and together these projects will employ over 5 000 people. According to Khumalo, implementing these projects is part of his ministry’s strategy to execute the inputs made by emaSwati during the Sibaya-People’s Parliament held late last year.
The minister underscored that his ministry had analysed the inputs from Sibaya and this has informed their strategy, and they would approach execution as follows:
1) Broad interventions aimed at
addressing the issues
2) Strategies that operationalise those interventions
3) Where appropriate, budget estimates, are provided
He noted that a number of these interventions required inter-ministerial coordination.
Completion
Khumalo added that they were also looking forward to the completion of the Johnson Workwear factory in Nhlangano, where at least over 2 000 jobs would be created. He said they were also aiming to see the completion of Gamula factory, where 1 000 jobs are expected to come to life. He added that they were working around seeing the completion of Far East Garments in Pigg’s Peak, which will create 500 jobs while the Ngwenya Factory Expansion will see an additional of 2 000 jobs being created.
There is also an expansion of SOMI, Conco and Mondelez International that is expected to continue. The minister’s presentation also highlighted the number of Sibaya interventions and his ministry’s strategy to see those interventions implemented. One of the interventions includes capitalising on the country’s industrialisation and in order to tackle this, the ministry seeks to accelerate the factory shell programme, in keeping with His Majesty King Mswati III’s vision to see 10 new factories per year.
Performance
During the Sibaya, there was also a call or intervention to expand domestic production and value addition to improve industrial performance. In order to tackle this, the Ministry of Commerce aims to enhance economic resilience by diversifying production and export markets by;
i. Optimising value chains in existing industries through backward/forward linkages (textiles/timber etc.)
ii. Attract businesses in new industries (e.g. pharmaceuticals, agro-processing).
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