By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:Nathie Dlamini,the Business Eswatini Chief Executive Officer(CEO) says, the country needs both foreign and domestic investors to create jobs for the people and enhance economic development.

Responding to this Swaziland News on Tuesday evening after being asked to share his views regarding the ongoing tension between the Federation of Eswatini  Business Community(FESBC) and investors of foreign origin, the former Eswatini Telecoms Managing Director said, “for this reason at Business Eswatini”, they were vigorously busy pushing for both local and foreign investments projects.

“This country desperately needs investors, both local and foreign.It’s the only way this country can create the jobs desperately needed by our people, especially our youth.Empirical data tells us that we need both if we are to make a dent into our burgeoning unemployment numbers.Trust me when I say there's no two ways about this.Which is why we are perennially busy at Business Eswatini vigorously pushing for both local and foreign investment projects for that same reason.That being said, though, one shouldn't be unmindful of the indisputable fact that the combination of both allows for the speedy cross-pollination of much-needed skills and expertise between the two, thereby producing amazing downstream benefits to smaller entities in particular. Ultimately, jobs which could not otherwise have been created, begin to emerge”, he said.

The Business Eswatini CEO further mentioned that, “once a company be it foreign or local,” is legally registered, it then acquires the full corporate citizenship of that particular country with rights and obligations of any corporate entity.

“This basically means that once a company is planted in our soil, a distinction as to its origins shouldn't necessarily arise, neither should it’s corporate citizenship be undermined by its origins.I say this because in terms of sheer volumes, we have more members under our portfolio which one can classify as 'indigenous'-as it were, only that they tend to be smaller in terms of size and turnover. Then we have big businesses which, as you know, are very few in this country but tend to be a tad bigger in terms of turnover.Business Eswatini, as an apex organisation which is recognized by the ILO is expected to stay true to our founding mandate, if only as part of our obligations within the tripartite structures.We use the same lense to recognize businesses in the country because they all create jobs that we need”, said the Business Eswatini CEO.

But Dlamini clarified that, despite using the same lense when recognizing businesses, they always remain morally vigilant and sensitive to the special needs of the smaller businesses that need their help as Business Eswatini in order to grow and expand. 

“Think of Vukani Bomake Projects, which is a BE-driven initiative which has seen scores of locals being launched into businesses around remote villages around the country with the support of bigger businesses.We are busy empowering emaSwati everyday as part of our moral obligation and national duty; which perhaps explains why we let our work do the talking more”, he said.