Times Of Swaziland: E63M MAGUGA LODGE AQUARIUM PROPOSAL

E63M MAGUGA LODGE AQUARIUM PROPOSAL
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BY THEMBELANI NHLABATSI  on 19/08/2020 00:55:00


MBABANE – Eswatini tourism is one of the sectors that have been prioritised
under the economic recovery plan, which was launched by Prime Minister Ambrose
Mandvulo Dlamini.
The plan was launched last Friday at the Royal Villas in Ezulwini where
officials from the local business sector gathered.
The Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan Task Team (PCERPTT) put together
eight-sector work streams under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Economic
Planning and Development to identify high impact private sector-led projects
that would stimulate the economy and lift it out of decline.
Impacts
In the plan, it is stated that on April 27, 2020, the prime minister assembled a
team of Cabinet ministers and tasked them with developing a Post COVID-19
Economic Recovery Plan to address the impacts of COVID-19 on the economy by
creating opportunities for income generation and wealth creation in key priority
sectors of the economy.
Among those opportunities, an aquarium worth E63 million was proposed to be
built at the Maguga Lodge and would be named ‘Maguga National Aquarium’,
which would create over 40 jobs.
An aquarium is an enclosure of any size having at least one transparent side, in
which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed.
Fish keepers use aquariums to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians and aquatic
reptiles such as turtles, and aquatic plants.
Orientated
According to Derrik Hopf, who is an architect linked to the project, the
aquarium was set to increase the population of indigenous species locally and
also drive tourism in the country towards the northern region, which was a
tourism orientated initiative.
The project was proposed to be started immediately through the support of the
Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy as well as the
Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
Proposing
It is also part of four other projects that the sector is proposing to invest an
amount of E466 million and set to create 345 job opportunities.
The sector is also committing to stimulate activities through product
enhancement to attract tourists when the pandemic subsides  and  through  an 
‘Eswatini  Unlocked  Campaign’ that will encourage locals to participate in
domestic  travel  for  leisure  to  support  and  grow  the  tourism  industry.
Investment
In terms of the big projects, the tourism industry will attract investment
across the country, which includes the aquarium at Maguga Lodge.
Speaking to this publication, the owner of Maguga Lodge, Brian Figuaredo,
confirmed the proposed project.
“The project is in the pipeline, which was approved to be in the recovery plan
and we are looking forward to it,” he said.
It is worth noting that Maguga Lodge is located at the Maguga Dam, which is
along the Komati River in Eswatini and is 115 metres high, located about 12
kilometres south of Pigg’s Peak.
During the launch, the prime minister said the economic recovery plan was a
response to the looming economic contraction and negative impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on the different sectors of the economy.
“This plan aims to protect the economy from a downward spiral and set it in
motion for sustained growth,” he said.
Strategic
Dlamini highlighted that the recovery plan was not meant to replace the
‘National Development Plan’, the ‘National Development Strategy’, and
the ‘Government Strategic Road map’ launched last year and instead served as
a catalyst or practical action plan to all of them.
“It also provides the fiscal space for government to invest in critical public
service delivery as outlined in the National Development Plan,” he said.
The prime minister further mentioned that the focus on ‘Big  Projects’ and 
a private  sector-led  economy was to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the
economy in the short term in order to make up for the anticipated losses in GDP.
“To do that, government intends to reposition herself as a facilitator and
enabler of business development,” he concluded.