{"id":86584,"date":"2026-04-13T09:47:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T09:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/the-icc-fish-hotel-will-be-a-game-changer-for-eswatini"},"modified":"2026-04-13T11:03:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T11:03:51","slug":"the-icc-fish-hotel-will-be-a-game-changer-for-eswatini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/the-icc-fish-hotel-will-be-a-game-changer-for-eswatini","title":{"rendered":"THE ICC &amp; FISH HOTEL WILL BE A GAME-CHANGER FOR ESWATINI"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Eswatini. <\/strong><\/span><b>The 2026\/2027 National Budget is positioning Eswatini for a wave of economic activity, with Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg pointing a broad spectrum of opportunities aimed at empowering Emaswati through jobs, entrepreneurship, and community development.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Speaking during Finance in Focus, Rijkenberg explained that the new financial year, which began on April 1, is not just about numbers, but about unlocking real opportunities across key sectors of the economy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought I would just unpack a few of the areas where I believe this budget&#8230; is going to create opportunities for those looking at doing business and those seeking jobs,\u201d said Rijkenberg.<\/p>\n<p>At the centre of this transformation is the newly completed International Conference Centre (ICC), which is expected to redefine the country\u2019s tourism and business landscape.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is absolutely&#8230; going to be a game-changer for our country,\u201d Rijkenberg said, noting that the facility is set to attract frequent regional and international conferences.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019ll be two or three [meetings] a week&#8230; creating a huge demand for tourism&#8230; hotels, B&amp;Bs&#8230; even if you have an extra room,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>The budget also places strong emphasis on infrastructure, particularly road construction, which is expected to unlock both employment and business opportunities nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are a whole group of double-sealed roads being built&#8230; and there\u2019s going to be a lot of work in that space,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>A major 110km road project is also expected to stimulate economic activity along its route, encouraging the development of service businesses such as fuel stations and local markets.<\/p>\n<p>Agriculture has received significant investment, with a strategic focus on transforming unused land into productive economic assets, especially for young people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve got unemployment and we\u2019ve got vacant land&#8230; if one puts these two together&#8230; you unlock unemployment,\u201d Rijkenberg explained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s going to be opening up thousands of opportunities&#8230; leaning towards youth and women,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Rural communities are also set to benefit significantly, with the Community Development Fund (CDF) nearly doubling from E188 million to approximately E360 million.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe budget has doubled&#8230; and there\u2019s definitely going to be a lot of space there for contractors&#8230; and skills development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>In a deliberate move to decentralize economic activity, the government is expanding factory shell projects into rural areas, ensuring that jobs are created closer to where people live.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to take the city to the people,\u201d Rijkenberg said, underscoring a shift toward inclusive industrial development.<\/p>\n<p>Rijkenberg concluded with a strong message of optimism, encouraging emaSwati to stay alert and proactive in identifying opportunities emerging from the budget.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is just the beginning&#8230; to give a heads up to those looking for jobs and opportunities where this budget could have a positive impact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>With strategic investments spanning tourism, infrastructure, agriculture, and community development, the 2026\/2027 National Budget is shaping up as a catalyst for inclusive growth and national empowerment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Eswatini<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Eswatini. The 2026\/2027 National Budget is positioning Eswatini for a wave of economic activity, with Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg pointing a broad spectrum of opportunities aimed at empowering Emaswati through jobs, entrepreneurship, and community development. Speaking during Finance in Focus, Rijkenberg explained that the new financial year, which began on April 1, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":86583,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,12],"tags":[249],"class_list":["post-86584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-eswatini"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>THE ICC &amp; FISH HOTEL WILL BE A GAME-CHANGER FOR ESWATINI - Eswatini<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The 2026\/2027 National Budget is positioning Eswatini for a wave of economic activity, with Minister of Finance Neal ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/the-icc-fish-hotel-will-be-a-game-changer-for-eswatini\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"THE ICC &amp; 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