Business Eswatini (BE) has outlined key advocacy priorities to boost Eswatini’s economic competitiveness after its recent quarterly Trade and Commerce Committee meeting.
The Trade and Commerce Committee is an advisory panel of BE. Led by Anthony Geldard, BE Vice President for Trade and Commerce, the committee provides strategic advice to the BE Board on matters related to trade, industry, taxation, and the broader business environment.
During its most recent meeting, the committee reviewed key developments impacting the business environment and adopted several resolutions aligned with the BE Advocacy Agenda. These focus on enhancing fiscal management, increasing tax compliance, and tackling rising energy costs.
The committee emphasised the importance of fiscal discipline in restoring investor confidence and ensuring long-term economic stability. BE called on the government to prioritise strategic expenditure management and improve efficiency within the public sector.
Key advocacy areas include containing recurrent expenditure, rationalising State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to reduce fiscal pressure, and improving civil service productivity through natural attrition and performance-based management systems.
“To create an environment where businesses can thrive, government institutions must operate in a manner that is efficient, accountable, and focused on service delivery,” said the Vice President responsible for Trade and Commerce.
The committee also stressed the importance of aligning the national budgeting process with the Cabinet’s strategic priorities to ensure that public resources translate into measurable economic outcomes.
BE indicated that it will continue structured engagement with the government on these issues as part of its role in representing the private sector’s interests.
The committee also expressed concern about reports of VAT non-compliance within parts of the retail sector. According to Business Eswatini, such practices, if proven true, undermine revenue collection and create an uneven playing field for compliant businesses.
The committee noted that this distortion also weakens Eswatini’s competitiveness in attracting regional shoppers and investment.
Business Eswatini will engage with the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS) on measures to strengthen enforcement in high-risk sectors, and encourage its members to undertake internal compliance reviews.
“Fair competition is fundamental to a healthy business environment. Businesses that comply with tax obligations should not be disadvantaged by those operating outside the system,” the Vice President added.
The committee also identified rising electricity costs as one of the most significant pressures affecting the cost of doing business.
Business Eswatini will intensify its advocacy for structural reforms in the energy sector to reduce costs and improve supply security. These include accelerating investment in local generation capacity, expanding frameworks for embedded generation, and removing regulatory bottlenecks that limit private sector participation in electricity generation.
In the short term, BE is also exploring demand-side measures to help businesses manage electricity costs, including Time-of-Use optimisation, load shifting, and more flexible work-hour arrangements.
The committee concluded that strengthening tax compliance, maintaining fiscal discipline, accelerating energy-sector reforms, and improving policy coherence remain essential pillars of improving Eswatini’s business environment.