MBABANE – Eswatini’s construction policy warns that inadequate maintenance is putting public roads and buildings at risk, prompting a rethink of infrastructure beyond construction.
The National Construction Industry Policy 2025-2031 identifies inadequate maintenance of public infrastructure, including roads and buildings, as one of the challenges affecting the construction industry.
But the policy’s concern goes beyond whether completed infrastructure is repaired when it deteriorates.
It proposes changing how infrastructure is viewed from the moment a project is conceived to the time it reaches the end of its useful life.
Under the proposed value-chain approach, financing, planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and eventual end-of-life management would form part of one continuous infrastructure cycle.
In other words, completing a road, public building or other facility would not mark the end of government responsibility.
Instead, it would mark the beginning of the asset’s operational life, with maintenance and renovation planned as part of its long-term management.
The policy identifies operation, maintenance and renovation as areas where long-term infrastructure management systems could be developed.
It also identifies energy efficiency and retrofitting of existing structures as potential areas of activity.
The approach is presented against wider weaknesses in infrastructure delivery.
The policy identifies poor coordination and delivery of infrastructure projects, inadequate monitoring and supervision of construction works and inadequate infrastructure for economic activities, particularly in rural areas.
It also raises concerns about poor design and aesthetics, particularly in buildings, as well as shortcomings in the maintenance and development of quality and standards for buildings and construction materials.
The proposed response is therefore not limited to maintaining existing infrastructure.
The policy calls for stronger national and international standards and frameworks for evaluating the quality of construction works.
It also proposes stronger implementation and monitoring of building and quality standards, including in rural areas.
The policy’s value-chain approach extends to what happens when infrastructure can no longer be used. Sustainable deconstruction, waste recycling and resource recovery are identified as potential opportunities at the end-of-life stage.
This would make maintenance, renovation and eventual replacement part of the construction industry’s continuing activity rather than treating construction as a once-off project.
The policy identifies financing, planning, design, construction materials, logistics, operation, maintenance, renovation and end-of-life management as stages where economic and employment opportunities could be developed.
The proposed model also has implications for how infrastructure supports the wider economy.
The policy calls for productive and inclusive infrastructure to support social and economic development, including transport, agriculture and market infrastructure. Rural areas receive particular attention, with the document identifying inadequate infrastructure for economic activities as a continuing challenge.
It proposes improved infrastructure supporting transport, agriculture and markets, alongside better coordination of infrastructure planning.
The policy calls for a national plan for integrated planning, design and construction.
The plan would promote modern, green, sustainable and smart development in urban and rural areas, as well as modern architecture, aesthetic designs and smart buildings.
Technology is another part of the proposed change.
The policy calls for modern machinery and technologies, including artificial intelligence and Building Information Modelling.
It also proposes construction planning tools for scheduling and project management, incentives for investment in technology and collaboration between construction stakeholders and technology providers.
Research and development in the built environment is also proposed as part of the transformation.
The policy further calls for an industry labour market information system and annual skills plans to assess labour requirements in construction.
The proposals come as the policy seeks to broaden the role of the construction industry beyond putting up infrastructure.
Its proposed value-chain model envisages economic activity and employment not only during construction, but also through operation, maintenance, renovation and eventual replacement.
The policy therefore places inadequate maintenance within a wider question of how Eswatini plans and manages infrastructure.
Rather than treating construction as the finish line, the proposed approach would make the entire life of an infrastructure asset part of the planning process.
The policy identifies inadequate maintenance as a current challenge, while proposing a system in which infrastructure is built with its operation, upkeep, renovation and eventual replacement already forming part of the cycle.
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