BY SIBUSISEKILE NDLANGAMANDLA
MANZINI – The Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) is investing E39 million in a conference centre expected to reduce the organisation’s spending on external venues while creating an opportunity to generate additional revenue.
SNAT Secretary General Lot Vilakati said the construction of the conference centre represents a strategic investment in the organisation’s future, as SNAT has over the years spent millions of emalangeni hiring venues for its major activities.
The facility, being constructed at the SNAT Centre in Manzini, will have a seating capacity of 1 250 people. It will also feature a fully fledged kitchen, a bar, offices and underground parking.
Vilakati said SNAT conducts several major activities each year, including annual conferences, annual general meetings and budget meetings involving the association and its different entities.
The association’s annual conference is among the major activities that require significant expenditure, with Vilakati indicating that the cost can reach close to E3 million. Once completed, the conference centre will allow SNAT to host many of its major activities at its own facility instead of hiring external venues.
This is expected to reduce venue hire and related operational costs, allowing the organisation to redirect more of its financial resources towards programmes and services benefiting its members.
The facility will also create an additional source of income for SNAT by allowing suitable external conferences, workshops and social events to be hosted at the centre when it is not being used for the association’s activities.
Vilakati said the development would therefore serve both as a facility for SNAT’s activities and a potential revenue-generating asset for the organisation. The centre will also provide additional office space, strengthening SNAT’s administrative capacity as part of the wider development of its property.
Once operational, the conference centre is expected to give SNAT greater control over the hosting of its major gatherings while reducing its reliance on externally hired venues.
For SNAT, the investment represents a long-term approach to reducing recurring costs, strengthening institutional sustainability and creating infrastructure that can continue providing value to the organisation and its membership.
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(Courtesy Pic)
