BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA
MBABANE- Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Mancoba Khumalo has hit two birds with one stone.
As part of the delegation that accompanied His Majesty the King to US for 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77), the minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade has also addressed the World Beer Alliance.
It is said that the objective of the World Beer Alliance is to share knowledge and best practice amongst brewers and other concerned stakeholders and to act as a global, united voice on the integrity of beer and the social responsibility of brewers to a variety of audiences, including international organisations.
The minister stated that governments needed to have better strategies to fast-track economic recovery and avert some of the socio-economic challenges facing their countries post COVID-19.
He said this during the World Beer Alliance held on the side-lines of the 77th #UNGA at New York in the United States yesterday.
The theme of the event was ‘Brewing the Future: Beer’s role in Positive Economic Development in Africa’.
The event was also attended by Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Moses Vilakati and Minister of Education and Training Lady Mabuza, as well as several stakeholders in the global beer industry.
“The Government of Eswatini recognises that the COVID-19 pandemic has not just been a health crisis but also an economic crisis. Before COVID-19, the Kingdom of Eswatini was already experiencing key economic challenges and so the pandemic has exacerbated an already fragile economic situation.
“The vision for our country has been immaculately communicated by His Majesty King Mswati III, that we must fast-track our attainment of first world status. Therefore, there is immediate urgency for our Governments to improve their partnerships and collaboration with industry in general to positively support economic development,” said Khumalo.
The minister further mentioned that the beer industry, in particular, needed to leverage on this call by governments to rise to the occasion and ensure they worked collectively for the betterment of their countries’ development and sustainability.
“Growth of the beer sector should help soften the economic challenges facing our countries. Increased volume translates to more jobs and tax revenue for Governments,” he said.
One of the biggest issues that the Government faces is reducing alcohol harm, which I believe is a common issue and is a very important issue for any Government. In the past, we have taken various measures to curb the harm from alcohol consumption, but we do need the industry to play an active role in this regard,” he said.
