Times Of Swaziland: 10 COMPANIES TO BRING 9 750 JOBS

10 COMPANIES TO BRING 9 750 JOBS
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Stanley Khumalo on 31/03/2023 08:32:00


MATSAPHA – About 9 750 jobs are in the pipeline, as there are 10 companies
that require a total of 61 500m² for their projects in the country.
This was said by Prime Minister (PM) Cleopas Sipho Dlamini, at the end of his
tour of key post COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan Investment Projects in Matsapha
Industrial Site. The premier, with the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade,
Manqoba Khumalo, senior government personnel and some legislators, toured three
infrastructure development projects in Matsapha. The infrastructures included
Eswatini Oil Mill Expansion Project, the Conco Limited Warehouse Expansion
Project and the Matsapha Lifestyle Centre Project.
Development
The premier in his remarks, said government must prioritise the development of
the Sidvokodvo Industrial Estate, as Matsapha Industrial Site was quickly
running out of space for new industries. The PM said: “I have been informed
that in our projects pipeline, there are 10 companies that require a total of 61
500m² and these companies would create about 9 750 jobs. If we had that space,
about 10 000 emaSwati would be employed, who would, in turn positively impact
their communities.” He said Sidvokodvo would decongest Matsapha, create new
investment opportunities, lighten the shortage of industrial land for investors
and improve lives, as emaSwati would get employed.
Dlamini said these investment projects were worth a combined E850 million and
had created about 895 jobs during construction. He said these projects were
being implemented under the post COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan by the private
sector, with the support of government.
These investment projects, he said, were worth a combined E850 million and had
created about 895 jobs during construction. The premier said the expected number
of permanent jobs that would be created after the implementation of these
projects was more than 900, excluding jobs that would be created as a result of
spill-over activities.
“Although we visited only a few of these projects, we are aware that there are
many more such projects dispersed across other parts of the country. This should
then give you an indication on the trajectory of our economic recovery prospects
as a country.” He said as highlighted by His Majesty King Mswati III in his
Speech from the Throne, during the opening of Parliament recently, Eswatini’s
economy grew by 7.4 per cent last year and had been the fastest growing economy
in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region over the last two
years.
Dlamini highlighted that this growth was underpinned by an impressed growth of
16.1 per cent in manufacturing and an eight per cent growth in the retail
sector. “Of the E850 million investments, E100 million is a new investment and
 more than E750 million is business expansion of existing investments. We are
aware of ongoing reinvestment plans in many other firms around the country as
captured in the recently issued update report by EIPA (Eswatini Investment
Promotion Authority) and ESEPARC (Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research
Centre).”