…over 143 women empowered
BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE – The European Union (EU), International Trade Centre (ITC), and Vukani BoMake under Business Women Eswatini have joined hands to launch the 13th cottage factory in the Ezulwini community.
This project is part of the EU-funded ITC Alliances for Action Promoting growth through competitive alliances programme.
It involves supporting enterprises in an environmentally and socially responsible manner to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth, create decent jobs, and improve living standards in Eswatini. It also seeks to promote export-led growth, especially through the full utilisation of the Southern African Development Community-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement (SADC-EU-EPA).
Speaking on behalf of the project beneficiaries, Zanele Zeeman said the cottage factory will go a long way to enable them to put food on the table.
“We have been praying hard for a breakthrough because it is very hard to get a job here. That is why we want to turn this place into our very own business hub and a place where our youth can go to pass the time and acquire new skills. We dearly thank the ITC and the EU for all the support. We will make sure that we do not drop the ball and I do not doubt that our lives will no longer be the same.”
Her hearty gratitude was echoed by the Ezulwini Chief, Sifiso Khumalo, who further disclosed that he was more content with the prospects of the project because most of its beneficiaries are women and some of them are people with disabilities.
“Women’s economic empowerment is the right, smart, and indispensable investment, if we are to achieve poverty eradication and sustained economic growth, in line with Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. We should support women in developing their businesses and facilitate their access to capital,” he said.
“Business is the key driver of economic growth and employment. To that extent, we are grateful to Business Eswatini, Business Women Eswatini, the EU, and the ITC for this initiative,” added the Chief.
Far East Textiles Managing Director and Business Women Eswatini Chairperson Tokky Hou also thanked the EU and ITC for partnering with them on the Vukani Bomake project.
“Under this alliance, we have empowered 143 women, youth, and people with disabilities. This huge milestone of the Vukani BoMake project would not have been possible without the support of the EU and the ITC. We cannot thank them enough for their support,” she said.
Hou also commended the commitment and determination of the cottage factory beneficiaries to their work and said it hasn’t gone unnoticed in the various communities they work in. As a result, she revealed that one of the cottage factories in Ntondozi where there are people with disabilities was recently awarded for being the best business in that area.
“Also, even though the cottage factories started by producing facemasks and baby clothes, they are now in the export business producing products that go to The Foschini Group, and into shops such as Mr. Price Home and Sheet Street. Most of these products are made from waste fabric from the textile firms, including Far East Textiles hence, our tagline, turning waste into treasure,” she said.
Adding to that, Business Eswatini Chief Executive Officer Nathi Dlamini commended Far East Textiles for sharing even some of their high-end orders with the cottage factories from the villages to enable them to have a sustainable income.
“This is not common. Often, when we find something of value, we do not share it with others. We keep it for ourselves as long as we can hold on to it. But Far East Textiles is sharing whatever they get in terms of lucrative orders with the cottage factories from the villages,” he said.
International Trade Centre (ITC) Project Operations Manager Mawenzi Dlamini said the project is pure evidence of what is possible through collaboration.
“We are excited not only by the job creation prospects of this project but also by the way they sustainably do their business. For instance, from the sourcing of the inputs, they use waste material and also use solar power which is clean energy. This contributes positively to the 2030 Sustainability Agenda. We thank the EU Delegation to the Kingdom of Eswatini for supporting us in keeping this alliance alive and producing these results,” said Dlamini.
EU Ambassador to the Kingdom of Eswatini Dessislava Choumelova said one of the reasons they supported the project is because they strongly believe that education, skills, and knowledge are essential to take full advantage of opportunities within the textile industry.
“For this reason, we are collaborating with Far East Textiles to train women and youth on garment production, covering; safety practices in garment making, how to use different sewing machines, production management, factory management, business management, sales, and marketing,” she said.
She said they are also hoping that this project will contribute to the full utilization of the Southern African Development Community-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement (SADC-EU-EPA).
“The Eswatini textile industry is a growing and dynamic sector that produces high-quality garments with many years of experience and is the largest employer of women with low education. However, the destination of its products is almost exclusively South Africa. Exports to the EU are almost nonexistent, but the growth potential is more than E339 million larger than any other market. Many products in the apparel and textiles sector have tariff-free access to the EU, under the EU-SADC EPA.”
The ambassador said they are working with the ITC to provide support to remove bottlenecks that stand in the way of this enormous potential for growth in exports of apparel and textiles to the EU.
Worth mentioning is that the EU Delegation to Eswatini is responsible for managing diplomatic relations between the EU and the Kingdom of Eswatini.
These relations cover political relations, development cooperation, economic and trade relations as well as other areas of mutual interest between the two partners.
The central objective of this partnership is to reduce and ultimately eradicate poverty through sustainable development, the progressive integration of Eswatini into the world economy, and the promotion of the rule of law, democracy, and human rights. Meanwhile The International Trade Centre is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. ITC assists small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transitioning economies to become more competitive in global markets, thereby contributing to sustainable and inclusive economic development within the frameworks of the Aid-for-Trade agenda and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
