MINISTER UNVEILS NEW ESWASA DIRECTOR

EZULWINI - Yesterday, the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Manqoba Khumalo, unveiled the new Executive Director of the Eswatini Standards Authority, Ncamiso Mhlanga.

Khumalo described Mhlanga as an experienced, values-driven and goal-oriented executive leader, with a remarkable track record spanning over 16 years.Khumalo sais throughout his career, Mhlanga has demonstrated exceptional expertise in various sectors, including water resources management, water supply and sanitation, agriculture and livelihoods, environment, biodiversity and climate change adaptation. He holds a Master’s Degree in Integrated Water Resources Management from the University of Dar es Salaam, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture from the University of Eswatini.

Mhlanga’s professional journey has seen him work with esteemed organisations such as EWADE, UNDP, WaterAid, and UNOPS, among others. As part of UNDP in Eswatini, he led a ground-breaking National Climate Change Transboundary Water and Agriculture Adaptation project, funded by the Global Environmental Facility and UNDP. His visionary perspective played a crucial role in mainstreaming climate change considerations into policy frameworks and strategies for the water and agricultural sectors in Eswatini.

For the past seven years, Mhlanga has served as the Country Director for an international organization called WaterAid, where he made significant contributions to increasing access to clean water for many emaSwati. Khumalo said Mhlanga’s exceptional resource mobilization skills have resulted in the generation of over E200 million investment projects that have been successfully implemented across the country. He has also garnered extensive experience in working with multilateral international donors, including the private sector.

Since December 2023, Mhlanga has been employed by UNOPS to support the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs in coordinating and implementing the Nationally Determined Contribution. “And now, we are honoured to welcome him as the new Executive Director of the Eswatini Standards Authority,” said the minister. The Eswatini Standards Authority, known as SWASA, is a category A enterprise established through the Standards and Quality Act of 2003, which has been recently revised as the Standards and Quality Act of 2023.

Since its inception in 2007, SWASA has been dedicated to providing internationally recognized quality standards and conformity assessment services to improve business performance and promote trade. As a subscriber member of the International Standards Organization (ISO), SWASA adopts standards and international best practices in conformity assessment.

Moreover, SWASA plays a vital role in the development of standards that enable trade in the African value chains, contributing to the creation of a single continental market for goods and services under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) initiative. To date, SWASA has developed and gazetted over 250 National Standards and has certified numerous entities, ensuring adherence to these standards.

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