The recent Eswatini Investment Conference hailed by politicians as a success, might have looked impressive on paper, especially with its loudly proclaimed E37 billion in pledges, but honestly, when you look past the polished speeches and exaggerated optimism, it’s hard to ignore what a haphazard, underwhelming and poorly executed event this truly was.
It’s truly become a disturbing norm in this country to equate half-done work with achievement and to label anyone who dares speak the truth as being obstructive or negative.
Some of us remain committed to the principle of holding public institutions and officials to account, even when doing so comes at personal cost, so EIPA together with its parent ministry, must answer for what was, by all indications, a hastily arranged and poorly conceived affair.
Perhaps the only credit due to EIPA and the ministry of commerce, industry and trade is that they had the good sense, or at least the shame, not to trouble His Majesty King Mswati III with an appearance at what I can only describe as a farcical investment conference.
Let us begin with the planning, which, of course, involved a consultant (wink-wink), which is in itself quite telling.
From the outset, the entire affair resembled little more than a box-ticking exercise, rather than a carefully considered platform for sustainable economic engagement.
For a country of our size and economic limitations, one would assume such a large-scale event would have been aligned with existing efforts like the International Trade Fair.
EIPA is responsible for the Trade Fair, so why not use that platform to create a stronger and more connected conference? It’s this lack of integration and strategic thinking that makes the entire conference appear more performative than transformative.
But no, instead, EIPA chose to stage it as a standalone event, separate from the very ecosystem that could have ensured continuity, feasibility and genuine investor engagement.
The decision to exclude organised labour from the forum is not just shocking, it’s reckless.
How do you talk about jobs and industrial growth without involving workers?
And how do you talk about attracting new investors while ignoring the grievances of current ones, some of whom are in court over disputes with EIPA itself?
It’s also deeply concerning that, apart from a few recurring names like Ubombo Sugar and African Alliance, there was very little space given to local businesses or MSMEs, the very backbone of our economy.
There was a glaring absence of interactive platforms or panels where already existing investors across various sectors could share their challenges and contributions.
Nor was there space for the businesses His Majesty the King has launched or visited in recent years to speak on their experiences or progress.
In fact, the conference ignored these entirely, despite them being critical indicators of how investment is actually playing out on the ground.
Coming to the E37 billion investment pledges announced with much enthusiasm.
BakaNgwane, let’s be honest, what this country needs is not the inflation of numbers to score political points, but a sober reflection and transparency.
Are we seriously suggesting that this country will in the current year have a windfall of investments that should fully tackle unemployment? Mbamba?
This is insensitive to us as young people because year after year, similar pledges are made at glitzy events, yet joblessness rises and we continue to aspire to leave our country of birth for good in search of opportunities elsewhere.
Let’s also not forget that the conference came just days before Prime Minister Russell Dlamini publicly admitted that some members of his Cabinet were working against him.
This bombshell, an indictment of Cabinet cohesion, should have triggered alarm bells in my books, but surprise, surprise, not a single peep from any Cabinet member. Not even the minister of ICT, when the head of government business says he’s been hacked!
Not the national commissioner of police. Not Parliament except for Isaac Magagula, yet one of our major selling points to potential investors at the conference was political stability?
So, which is it? Are we a politically stable country, or do we have a dangerously fractured Cabinet with ministers plotting and undermining the very man at the helm of government? You can’t have it both ways.
Anyways, before I digress, my main point here is that until EIPA is evaluated not by how many air tickets it books, but by measurable outcomes, jobs created, investments materialised and support given to local entrepreneurs, these investment forums will remain expensive PR stunts.
Likewise, the ministry of commerce must account for public funds spent on initiatives like factory shells, by clearly linking investment inputs with tangible economic results.
Otherwise, all we’re doing is feeding globe-trotting officials in allowances while the rest of the country is left waiting for investments that may never come.
It’s time to stop the charade. If Eswatini is truly open for business, then it must also be open to criticism, correction and above all, honesty.
