Jobs summit to tackle unemployment, boost business

Creating more business opportunities to counter rising unemployment is expected to take centre stage at an upcoming jobs summit in Swaziland. The summit, scheduled to take place in July, follows a pledge by King Mswati to initiate a R1 billion (US $150 million) public-private fund to bankroll the development of small- and medium-scale enterprises. Last week Prime Minister Themba Dlamini told reporters that the meeting of high-profile business leaders, civil society and government representatives would tackle job losses and deepening poverty in the tiny landlocked country. Unemployment in Swaziland's formal sector is around 45 percent, largely attributed to the sudden closure of a number of textile factories and recent retrenchments at sugar plantations. According to the prime minister's office, job creation in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy is expected to dominate the meeting. Delegates will also discuss ways of finding international markets for Swazi products, and ensuring that new businesses have access to adequate infrastructure and support. Some media commentators have criticised the inclusion of newspaper editors in the government initiative, citing the need for the media to remain neutral, but one participating editor pointed out that the media were included in public-private development initiatives in other countries. The government has been pushing ahead with its empowerment policy, which saw the takeover of one of the country's largest construction companies by a trio of local businessmen last week. Controlling shares in the previously foreign-owned Inyatsi Construction Ltd were acquired by Ndumiso Mamba, Moses Motsa and Brian Persson, who had worked their way up from the position of labourers in the construction industry. Evart Madlopha, principal secretary for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, commented: "We have Swazis who are capable of doing the job; we are happy to see the number of Swazis owning construction companies growing."