LocationsWork Smarter: Embrace Technology, Cut Costs, Grow
September 3, 2026
A panel discussion on Cost of Doing Business in a Modern Economy at the Powering Profit: Rethinking the Cost of Doing Business in Eswatini.
What does it take for a small business to survive, become more productive and ultimately grow into a competitive, sustainable enterprise?
This question took centre stage on 02 September as industry leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, development partners and civil society organisations gathered at the UNDP Sustainable Centre at the Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre in Manzini, on the sidelines of the Eswatini International Trade Fair 2026.
The symposium, attended by about 150 delegates, explored the cost of doing business in Eswatini and examined how Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) can leverage smart technologies to reduce operational costs, improve productivity and maximise profits.
More than a conversation about challenges, the symposium created a platform for MSMEs and key stakeholders to identify practical ways to work smarter, access finance, and become more competitive in a rapidly changing economy.
The event was held under the Catalysing Renewable Energy Access and Transition in Eswatini (CREATE) banner, a four-year Government initiative funded by the European Union Delegation to Eswatini. CREATE provides a comprehensive package of support to MSMEs, including investment potential assessments, development of bankable proposals, financial sector engagement and targeted coaching.
The initiative is implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Catalyze Eswatini.
Register here to participate under CREATE: https://bit.ly/4h7WeCr
UNDP Resident Representative, Mr Henrik Franklin, delivering his remarks.
From energy to business survival
Welcoming delegates, UNDP Resident Representative Mr Henrik Franklin emphasised that the symposium was deliberately designed not as an energy conference, but as a conversation about the realities businesses face daily.
“It is a conversation about business survival, productivity, competitiveness and profitability,” he said.
Franklin explained that energy is one of the key inputs into business operations and, for some enterprises, represents a high cost that can potentially be managed differently.
He challenged businesses to develop a better understanding of their own operations – where they are making money, where they are losing it, what is driving their costs and, most importantly, what they can do differently.
Technology, he noted, is increasingly central to this shift toward smarter, more productive businesses.
“It may be better production equipment, digital tools, and artificial intelligence that help a business understand its sales, inventory, and operations more effectively,” he said.
For others, he added, working smarter could mean investing in more efficient refrigeration, irrigation, logistics or energy management, while renewable energy and energy efficiency could offer further opportunities to reduce operating costs.
Ms Thulisile Dladla, the President of the Business Federation of Eswatini (BUFE), expressed similar sentiments, adding that technology is part of the solution for small businesses. She said MSMEs need access to practical technologies that solve real business problems, such as solar energy and energy efficiency, digital payments, accounting software, e-commerce, automated production equipment, or better refrigeration.
“These investments can sound expensive when viewed as a once-off cost,” she said. “But the better question for a business owner is: What is this investment going to save me, and how much more can it help me produce or earn over the next three, five or ten years?”
Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Hon. Manqoba Khumalo, delivering his remarks.
Turning entrepreneurship into sustainable growth
The Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Hon. Manqoba Khumalo, also emphasised the need to move beyond simply creating businesses to building enterprises capable of sustained growth.
He posed a fundamental question: How do we help a micro-enterprise become a small enterprise, a small enterprise transform into a medium-sized enterprise, and ultimately create businesses capable of operating at scale?
He further asked how entrepreneurship could be translated into productive businesses, sustainable jobs and broader economic growth.
“This is where the conversation about working smarter becomes important,” he said.
Khumalo urged MSMEs to become more productive by using technology effectively, understanding their markets and costs, adding value to what Eswatini produces and continuously identifying ways to operate more efficiently.
Access to finance, he stressed, must also be supported by stronger business proposals. He encouraged MSMEs to develop bankable business proposals that demonstrate viability and enable financial institutions to provide loans for business development and growth.
As he put it: “Money does not follow emotions.”
Mr José Becerra, Chargé d’Affaires at the European Union Delegation to Eswatini, delivering his remarks.
Smart growth requires better decisions
The European Union Delegation to Eswatini also highlighted the link between technology, innovation, finance and resource efficiency.
Mr José Becerra, Chargé d’Affaires at the European Union Delegation to Eswatini, said businesses that use technology, data and innovation to make better decisions are better positioned to access finance, attract investment and grow, while using energy and other resources more efficiently.
“That is what smart growth means. And this is not only an Eswatini conversation,” he said.
He noted that the nature of competition is changing globally, with technology reshaping how businesses produce and trade. At the same time, energy security and resource efficiency are increasingly influencing production costs.
A delegate making a contribution.
From conversation to practical solutions
The symposium moved from identifying challenges to exploring practical solutions through two panel discussions.
The first, Financing the Modern Business, brought together financial institutions to explain what they look for when assessing loan applications and the support available to help MSMEs become more investment- and finance-ready.
The second panel, Cost of Doing Business in a Modern Economy, examined how MSMEs are responding to rising operational pressures, the technologies and approaches they are adopting, and the barriers they continue to face in modernising their businesses.
Together, the discussions reinforced a clear message: for Eswatini’s MSMEs to thrive, they must move from simply working harder to working smarter.
By bringing businesses, government, financiers, development partners and other stakeholders into one conversation, the symposium provided a platform designed to address the challenges faced by MSMEs and connect them to solutions. Practical support, technologies and financing solutions are available to help them overcome those challenges.
Ultimately, the ambition is not simply to reduce the cost of doing business. It is to help Eswatini’s MSMEs become more productive, resilient and competitive – creating businesses that can grow, generate sustainable jobs and contribute meaningfully to the country’s economic transformation.