BY MBONGENI NDLELA
MBABANE – Part of Eswatini’s expected E2.6 billion Southern African Customs Union (SACU) revenue share will be directed to the Microprojects Programme to help it pay contractors, Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg has said.
Rijkenberg said government would make an effort to release money to Microprojects once the SACU funds come through.
He was responding to a question on whether the expected SACU payment would help government settle amounts owed to suppliers.
“They have been getting payments every week. We will be trying to pay Microprojects to be able to pay their contractors,” said the Minister.
The response suggests that contractors working under Microprojects could be among those to benefit from the fresh cash entering government coffers.
Microprojects is involved in the implementation of community development projects across the country, many of which rely on local contractors and suppliers.
For some of these businesses, payments from government-funded projects are important for meeting wages, buying building material and keeping work moving on site.
Rijkenberg, however, made it clear that government had not stopped paying suppliers altogether. He said payments had continued every week, although the expected SACU funds would give government additional room to meet some of its obligations.
His comments will be closely watched by contractors and businesses that depend on government work, especially those linked to ongoing Micro Projects assignments.
The SACU revenue share remains one of Eswatini’s major sources of government income and often plays an important role in supporting public expenditure.
The expected inflow could therefore ease pressure on government cash flow while allowing more money to reach projects and contractors already carrying out work on the ground.
Rijkenberg did not indicate how much of the E2.6 billion would specifically be allocated to Micro Projects, but confirmed that the programme was among the areas government intended to pay.
