BY SIBUSISEKILE NDLANGAMANDLA
MANZINI– Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo has challenged Eswatini to ensure that the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) translates into real jobs for young people.
Khumalo said the country could no longer measure MSME success simply by the number of businesses being established, but by whether those businesses were growing, employing people and becoming competitive.
“Our ambition, therefore, must be bigger than simply having more MSMEs,” he said. Speaking at the Powering Profit Symposium at the UNDP Sustainable Centre, Khumalo said Eswatini needed businesses that could move from micro to small and from small to medium-sized enterprises, eventually operating at scale.
He said this was particularly important as more young Emaswati entered the labour market and needed sustainable employment opportunities. He urged businesses to work smarter by adopting technology, understanding their markets and operating costs, improving productivity and adding value to products made in Eswatini.
Growth should also open access to larger regional and international markets, allowing local businesses to expand beyond the domestic economy. The Minister identified access to finance, markets, business skills, the business environment and resilience as major challenges holding back MSMEs.
He said Government must continue listening to businesses and address unnecessary barriers that make it difficult for viable enterprises to expand. He also stressed that Government could not drive MSME development alone, calling for sustained partnerships with development partners and the private sector.
He commended the European Union Delegation to Eswatini for its long-term support, particularly in areas such as Siphofaneni, where development partnerships have helped create infrastructure and productive opportunities for farmers, enterprises and communities.
The Minister thanked the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for its continued partnership with Government in advancing MSME development. “MSME development is a long journey. There are no shortcuts,” Khumalo said.
Businesses required different forms of support at different stages of their growth and that partnerships needed to remain focused on helping enterprises become stronger and more sustainable. Khumalo said the ultimate test would be whether businesses were growing, becoming more productive and competitive, creating jobs and developing into larger Eswatini companies. “The next chapter of MSME development in Eswatini must be about scale, productivity, competitiveness and jobs,” he said.
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