By Musa Mdluli

MBABANE: Business Eswatini and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has forged a 2026 partnership, setting a strategic vision for job creation, conservation and youth empowerment through private sector collaboration.

In a statement sent to this Swaziland News by Business Eswatini Communications Office, Executive Officer (CEO) E. Nathi Dlamini met UNDP Resident Representative His Excellency Henrik Franklin this week to map out a private sector strategy for Eswatini thus setting a bold agenda for 2026. 

“The high-level discussion, described as a meeting where "great things happen over a cup of coffee," focused on harnessing the power of the private sector to address some of the nation’s most pressing challenges, from job creation to environmental conservation. The conversation, which included insightful economic analysis from BE’s Head of Trade & Commerce, Musa Maseko, established a clear consensus: private sector partnership is the key to unlocking Eswatini's potential. His Excellency Henrik Franklin highlighted from the start how such collaborations could effectively tackle job and skills shortages while preserving the Kingdom’s beautiful landscapes,” reads the statement.

It has been disclosed through the press statement that, a central theme of the discussion was environmental sustainability. 

“A groundbreaking model project partnership between the UNDP and CONCO at the Lusushwane River which was launched at Lozitha in the latter part of 2025, was lauded as a prime example of successful industrial-environmental harmony. The initiative has sparked a plan to formally invite other companies in the Matsapha industrial area to participate in order to create a powerful coalition for Nature based solutions that support both economic activity and ecological health,” Business Eswatini said through the statement.