BY BUSINESS EDITOR
MBABANE – A majority of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) require financial support coupled with financial literacy for the success of their business, which can be access in development banks.
Eswatini currently has two development banks, Building Society and Eswatini bank which are at the helm of the throne when it comes to supporting MSMEs.
SAFRED is of the view that the establishment of such institutions would create new opportunities and frontiers for accelerated economic growth, while addressing the needs for socio-economic development for many locals and enterprises.
While the financial sector in Eswatini remained stable and sound, the nation still trailed behind in establishing a development banking system, which would have improved the formation and sustainability of socio-economic frontiers in the nation, according to Dr. George H. Choongwa, Regional Coordinator for the Southern African Research Foundation for Economic Development (SARFED).
“This would function as tactical avenues for achieving the sustainable development goals and national development plans,” he stated.
He emphasised that, despite maintaining encouraging signs of recovery, the Central Bank of Eswatini’s June 2018 issue report revealed that, between 2018 and 2021, the nation experienced a significant level of debt vulnerability due to difficulties the government faced in keeping the suggested threshold of 35 per cent.
“With its huge market potential in the development of many industries, both government and private business entities would easily have a considerable market share in green financing with favourable investment terms and conditions for various markets such as green bond markets, commodities, foreign exchange markets including the trade in capital and credit, all which served as vital elements for sustainable economic growth and development for the country,” he said.
The economist added that access to funding was one of the most challenging hindrances to socioeconomic inclusion and equity especially among social enterprises in the country.
“While the majority, especially those in the rural community and the unemployed remain un-bankable, they are still faced with limited access to funding, hence limiting the rate of socioeconomic inclusion and human capital development,” said Choongwa.
He said; therefore, the potential of this sector had not fully been explored, especially due to stringent conditions faced by them in accessing funding through the structured or conventional methods given by the commercial banks.
“Currently there are five commercial banks in Eswatini namely First National Bank, Standard Bank, Building Society, Eswatini Bank, and Ned Bank, three being private while two are public,” he said.
Choongwa highlighted however that the country had promoted the establishment of other financial institutions that operated in the interest of public financing such as FINCORP, the cooperative societies, and the Youth revolving enterprise fund among others.
“In spite of these financial structures, there is still no development bank yet in the country,” he said.
He therefore added that development banks would stimulate higher levels of industrial efficiency as they would reduce the lead time between application and provision of financial support for most clients or beneficiaries.
“The ripple effect to such developments would be that of stimulating the private sector-led growth which has at the moment been stagnantly characterised with slow growth trends, contributing to the widespread gap in unemployment and general economic efficiency,” said the economist.
