BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Government has signed an agreement worth E231 million with the Government of Japan.
The agreement was signed today (Wednesday, August 7, 2024) at Sibane Sami Hotel in Ezulwini. The agreement will help Eswatini Government to improve certain secondary schools and and provide food to schools around the country.
Government was represented by Minister of Economic Planning and Development Dr Thambo Gina and the event was also witnessed by Minister of Education Owen Nxumalo. Organisations such as World Food Programme (WFP) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) were represented.
The education agreement will also see the construction of four new secondary schools fully equipped with educational equipment at Ngwenyameni, Lavumisa, New Thulwane and Maphungwane. The project will include the construction of classrooms, science labs, ICT labs, home economics labs (cooking and sewing), administrative rooms, teacher/staff housing as well as educational furniture for the facilities.
According to Minister Gina, both projects marked a significant milestone in the Economic and Social Development Programme, which formed part of the technical cooperation between the Government of Japan and the Government of Eswatini. As one of our major development partners, the minister said Japan had always prioritised socio-economic development starting at the grassroots level, ensuring that even vulnerable groups of a nation had the capacity to pursue their life goals and live lives of dignity and value.
“May I take this opportunity to request that we re-instate the Official Development Assistance Policy Dialogue which was hindered by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Policy Dialogue provides an opportunity to present our development agenda, share ideas and evaluate our cooperation for improvements where possible,” Gina said.
WFP Country Director Deepak Shah said the future of Eswatini rested upon its young generation. “Creating safe and conducive learning environments for both girls and boys is essential in equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to become productive contributors to society, fostering harmony and prosperity. Unfortunately, a significant portion of the population struggles with food and nutritional requirements,” Shah said.
JICA SA Chief Rep Okada Kaoru said this was the third project for construction of secondary schools in Eswatini as Japan’s Grant Aid, after the construction of 12 schools in four regions signed in 2011, and the construction of four secondary schools in four regions aimed at promoting Inclusive Education in 2017.
Minister Owen Nxumalo also expressed gratitude to the Government of Japan for the gesture they extended to Eswatini. Nxumalo said what was done by Japan was going to go a long way in helping his Ministry ensure accessibility of quality education to all Emaswati.
