MINISTERS and principal secretaries could be restricted to a maximum of five international trips per financial year, while other public officers will be limited to four.
This is as per a draft policy aimed at tightening government control over official foreign travel. The proposed restrictions would apply to both government-funded and donor-sponsored trips, meaning officials would not be able to avoid the limits simply because another organisation is paying for their travel.
The proposed External Travel Management Policy states that “ministers and principal secretaries are restricted to a maximum of five international trips (government or donor-sponsored) and officers below their level are restricted to four international trips (government or donor-sponsored) per fiscal year.”
Any travel that would take an official beyond the five-trip annual limit would require explicit written authorisation from the office of the prime minister.
The proposals form part of a wider effort to address frequent and prolonged absences from government offices, reduce unnecessary travel and ensure that public officers remain available to perform their duties.
The Public Policy Coordination Unit (PPCU), in collaboration with the ministry of public service and the Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre (ESEPARC), yesterday convened a consultative session with public sector unions (PSUs) to review and deliberate on the draft External Travel Management Policy Framework.
The engagement forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen governance, accountability, transparency and efficiency in the management of official external government travel.
Among the objectives of the policy are to establish clear procedures and guidelines governing the planning, approval, execution and management of external travel by public officers, as well as strengthen accountability and transparency in the use of public funds.
The draft policy identifies frequent and prolonged absence from office as one of the key issues requiring intervention.
It proposes that travel frequency be controlled to prevent situations where the same officials are repeatedly away from their duty stations.
It further proposes that no official should accumulate more than one calendar month of official travel in total within any given financial year, regardless of the number of trips undertaken.
“No official shall undertake a single trip of a duration exceeding one calendar month, except where the purpose of travel is training or security-related,” reads the draft policy.
It adds that “no official shall accumulate more than one calendar month of official travel in total within any given financial year, regardless of the number of trips undertaken.”
The proposed duration restriction would therefore apply separately from the annual trip limits.
An official could remain within the permitted number of trips but still exceed the proposed total time allowed outside the country.
The policy, however, recognises that some government responsibilities require officials to participate in sustained international engagements.
It proposes that travel frequency caps should not apply to officers whose official roles require continued international engagement as part of their work.
It also provides for flexibility where participation is required by statutory delegations, treaty-based obligations or roles in which the level of representation is fixed.
The draft states that travel caps “shall not apply rigidly to statutory delegations, treaty-based obligations, or roles requiring sustained international engagement where participation is mandatory and levels of representation are rigid.”
This means that officials involved in certain mandatory international engagements could be considered for exemptions, provided the requirements of their roles justify the travel.
The policy further provides that travel exceeding the stipulated timelines for statutory meetings must be justified and included in the annual external travel plans. Officials seeking to rely on active membership in international bodies would also have to provide documented proof of that membership and demonstrate the benefit of continued participation.
According to the draft, the justification shall include documented proof of active membership and justified benefit of participation.
The proposals also seek to prevent situations in which the same senior officials are repeatedly selected for international assignments while other public officers receive limited exposure.
The policy states that ministries “shall not over-rely on the same senior officials for repetitive travel.” It says travel frequency should be distributed equitably to prevent burnout, promote work-life balance and provide developmental exposure to mid-level and technical staff.
The document further provides that junior officers and technical specialists should have fair access to international opportunities based on the relevance of their roles and their professional development needs.
It states that selection should be guided by clear, merit-based criteria, while safeguarding against favouritism and promoting inclusive professional representation.
The draft also proposes that ministries should not allow both the minister and principal secretary to be outside the country on official travel at the same time.
“A situation where both the minister and the principal secretary are not available in the country at the same time, due to official external travel must not be permitted,” states the draft policy.
Requests for a waiver of this provision would be considered by the prime minister.
The proposal is intended to ensure that ministries retain senior leadership while officials are away on international assignments. It also takes into account the effect of officials’ absence on the delivery of government services.
