By Bongiwe Dlamini

MBABANE:Business Eswatini, the apex body representing the private sector in Eswatini, is gearing up for another "Lunch at the Market” event. 

The organization announced that they have hosted lunch at the market 4 times in succession in the Manzini and Mbabane markets. 

Lunch at the Market aims to foster a unique platform where executives from the corporate sphere,diplomats,high-ranking politicians converge to support small-scale indigenous businesses which are situated in the marketplace. 

The primary objective behind “Lunch at the Market" is to bridge the gap between these distinct groups of society with a view to spur growth for the businesses at the marketplace.

In a recorded interview, Mr. Nathi Dlamini, CEO of Business Eswatini said;

 “Traditionally, corporate interactions often occur within formal boardrooms or conference halls, detached from the vibrant energy and entrepreneurial spirit present in local markets.However, "Lunch at the Market" seeks to break this convention by relocating the networking space to a new venue-the heart of local commerce, the marketplace.We are exploring opportunities of expanding the concept by taking it to a new town in order to spread the love to most of emaSwati who are trying to make ends meet at the marketplace. Just like us, you are also keenly aware that the current economic climate is unforgiving and as such, everyone is experiencing a hard time sustaining their business.This is especially the case among the smaller businesses in the market setting. I will also extend an invitation to you Nkhosi so that you can get the culinary experience which has never disappointed in the past 4 occasions we have hosted Lunch at the Market”.

On another note,the CEO announced that Business Eswatini will also be expanding its Vukani Bomake programme towards other sectors in order to benefit more vulnerable groups of society.He said BE is currently crafting a strategy to optimize their Business Women Eswatini wing to launch aggressively into the market with more life-changing interventions over and above what they have achieved in the recent past.

“You will recall that Vukani Bomake was initiated at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic Mlangeni. We started in the textile sector, making face masks from waste fabric with a handful of jobless women who were under the tutelage of Ms.Tokky Hou who was working with some strong-willed and sharp women leaders of Business Eswatini.Today, the programme has benefitted about 500 women including youth and people living with disabilities,inclusive of their dependents.If you drive across the country, you will see in some areas some containers branded Vukani Bomake.In those containers there is some business activity going on which is putting bread on the table for the dedicated women running these businesses which we call “cottage factories”,said the Business Business Eswatini CEO.

The Committee met recently to discuss on the way forward and a unanimous decision reached was to explore other avenues of growth in order to include more emaSwati in the basket of beneficiaries.

”We are hopeful to come up with more ingenious interventions in due course,” he said.