Swaziland
In this small landlocked nation, some 80 percent of the people still depend on subsistence farming. Very high HIV/AIDS infection rates and declining remittances from workers in South Africa (putting further financial strain on Swazis) add to its challenges, and to its 40 percent unemployment rate. The small formal economy is dominated by large foreign firms. In 2006 TechnoServe began working to increase opportunities for indigenous entrepreneurs and expand employment and income opportunities through our Swaziland Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Program (SWEEP), which aims to revitalize the Swazi economy by fostering the growth of Swazi-owned small and medium enterprises.
More about TechnoServe's Work in Swaziland »
TechnoServe/Swaziland
P.O. Box 663
Ezulwini, Swaziland H106
Tel: 268-404-1941/2/3
Fax: 268-404-1947
neville@technoserve.org.sz
Country Director: Neville Eisenberg
Established: 2006
Practices: Building Businesses and Industries ; Developing Entrepreneurs
Sectors:
Agriculture & Agribusiness ( dairy ; horticulture ; livestock & feed ; other )
Swaziland
Sowing the Seeds of Prosperity in Swaziland
Themba Dlamini's vision is to develop a thriving produce business that can lift his community out of poverty. TechnoServe is helping him to achieve this goal.
Developing Entrepreneurs
Business Plan Competitions
TechnoServe is helping aspiring young entrepreneurs to turn their business ideas into reality through Believe Begin Become, a national business plan competition. Through a proven combination of training, mentoring and networking activities (as well as seed capital, vouchers and follow-up aftercare), participants are assisted to create thriving small and medium companies that generate jobs and incomes across many sectors of the economy. More than 140 entrepreneurs have received training over the last three years. Two competitions are scheduled for 2009: the first will focus on young people between the ages of 18 and 30, and the second one will help entrepreneurs running existing micro and small enterprises to grow their businesses.
Key supporters: U.S. Agency for International Development and various private, academic and governmental organizations
Entrepreneurship Training
TechnoServe has developed an innovative after-school program, School-Age Youth Entrepreneurship (SAYE), to inspire young people and teach them about the world of business. Based on the JA Worldwide® (Junior Achievement) curriculum, it also provides a toolkit for making life decisions. By 2010, SAYE will benefit more than 7,000 young Swazis. Core to this program is building the capacity of local partner organizations to sustain and further expand this work.
Key supporters: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, U.S. Agency for International Development and multinational and local corporations
Building Businesses and Industries
Agriculture & Agribusiness › Dairy
A TechnoServe strategic plan for the Swazi dairy industry outlined opportunities to increase milk production. TechnoServe is now working closely with the Swaziland Dairy Board and local processors to increase the volume and improve the quality of milk produced by local farmers. To further promote a competitive dairy sector, TechnoServe has gathered a task force of industry stakeholders to identify and lead initiatives, such as establishing a number of Dairy Centers of Excellence to develop and exhibit best practices. The Centers will provide best-in-class training and mentorship programs for farmers across Swaziland.
Key supporter: U.S. Agency for International Development
Agriculture & Agribusiness › Horticulture
Swaziland's varied microclimates give it an advantage in producing certain high-value horticultural products such as baby vegetables. TechnoServe is helping local farmers develop produce marketing organizations, which link rural farmers to more lucrative export markets. Other activities include initiating the production of new crops and the expansion of existing crops, including the MD2 pineapple (a sweeter, hybrid variety of the fruit that has strong global demand), Cayenne pineapple (the Hawaiian variety), chili peppers, fresh herbs, vegetables, sweet potatoes and berries. TechnoServe is also assisting the country’s agro-processing sector, providing technical support to the Eswatini Swazi Kitchen, which produces jams and sauces for markets in 14 countries.
Key supporter: U.S. Agency for International Development
Agriculture & Agribusiness › Livestock & Feed
Swaziland’s livestock industry has great potential. Local feed companies, a critical industry building block, now import most of their basic ingredients. TechnoServe is helping farmer associations to improve the efficiency of sorghum production, and working with local processors to develop formal markets for this crop. And we are helping farmer groups to diversify into high-demand sugar beans for the feed market. We are also helping build public- and private-sector alliances to benefit the beef industry through better herd management, traceability and record keeping. We continue to work on developing other livestock subsectors, such as pigs & goats.
Key supporter: U.S. Agency for International Development
Agriculture & Agribusiness › Other
To leverage the growing global market for organic cotton, TechnoServe is partnering with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Swazi Cotton Board and TexRay (a garment manufacturer) to develop this industry in Swaziland, starting with a demonstration organic cotton farm plot. TechnoServe is now working with ComMark Trust to further develop the organic cotton value chain and make the country's garment and textile sectors more sustainable, and we are helping more than 1,000 Swazi farmers to improve the yields and profit margins of their conventional cotton. TechnoServe is also helping to grow the Swazi honey industry by helping small-scale beekeepers access formal markets, assisting processors and supporting the national honey council.
Key supporters: ComMark Trust and U.S. Agency for International Development
Tourism
A TechnoServe tourism strategic plan for Swaziland showed the need for better marketing, so TechnoServe helped Swazi Trails (a leading local tour company) and World Hotel Link (a global network of locally owned booking sites for independent travelers) to establish a web site that helps local bed-and-breakfast establishments access the international market. TechnoServe also made tourism the focus of its 2008 Believe Begin Become competition.
Key supporter: U.S. Agency for International Development
Improving the Business Environment
Access to finance is a significant constraint to the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Swaziland. To help private lenders expand their services to these riskier borrowers, TechnoServe launched a $25 million Development Credit Authority loan guarantee facility (backed by the U.S. Agency for International Development) for viable Swazi SMEs. The program is currently implemented by Standard Bank and Nedbank Swaziland; additional partners may also be brought on board.
Key supporter: U.S. Agency for International Development
