BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Government, through the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development, has completed project worth E35 603 018.72 in a period of three months.
The Tinkhundla Ministry has been able to do that from July to September 2024, which is the second quarter of the 2024/25 fiscal in Eswatini. The projects are 53 in number and these jobs are as a result of the existence of the Regional Development Fund (RDF). Out of these projects, 10 of them are Income-Generating Projects (IGPs), while 43 of them are infrastructural projects.
Emaswati that benefitted from these projects are 8 730 and 445 jobs were created in the process. There are 143 ongoing projects, of which 42 are IGPs, while 101 of them are infrastructural projects. The ongoing projects are worth E157 409 921.51 and Emaswati set to benefit are 33 913, creating 1 017 jobs.
In Augist this year, this publication reported that Government, through the Tinkhundla Ministry, had committed to spend E167 356 565.04 to create 892 jobs in the 2024/25 financial year.
The report stated that this move was expected to help 34 984 Emaswati, according to the 2024/25 First Quarter Performance Report for the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development. The money would be spent on infrastructure projects in all of the four regions of the country, which were under the RDF.
Nationally, four infrastructure projects were completed during the first quarter. The completed projects were worth E1 717 759.00, benefitting 10 715 Emaswati directly and creating 107 jobs.
“A total of 159 are ongoing projects, of which forty-five (45) are Income-Generating Projects (IGPs) and 114 are infrastructures. The total amount of the ongoing projects is worth E167 356 565.04. The ongoing projects will directly benefit 34 984 Emaswati and creating 892 jobs,” stated part of the First Quarter performance report.
As of June 30, 2024, the actual expenditure for the Administration Account (of the RDF) was E1 933 407.27. During the period under review, there was training for 13 project committee members from two Eswatini Organised Groups (EOGs). Training for the EOGs was on basic bookkeeping skills, group dynamics and basic marketing skills while those on infrastructure were on general stock control.
