Ezulwini – The Government of Eswatini has announced five national priorities following a Cabinet Retreat that concluded yesterday, placing health services, agriculture, economic growth, governance reforms, and energy transformation at the centre of its development agenda.
Under Health and Social Protection, authorities plan to end the shortage of drugs and medical supplies across all health facilities while improving facility management in line with the Speech from the Throne. Government also intends to expedite legislation to strengthen social protection by December 2026 and develop a Comprehensive Anti Corruption Strategy by 2026 to support governance in health and social sectors. Enforcement of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act is set to be intensified through aggressive awareness campaigns by 2028.
Agriculture and Food Sovereignty form the second pillar, with officials targeting the eradication of Foot and Mouth Disease by December 2026. The country also aims to attain food self sufficiency by 2030 while mitigating climate change impacts and strengthening resilience in line with Nationally Determined Contributions version 3.0.
Economic Growth and Transformation initiatives include positioning the country as a tourism and conferencing destination by 2027 and fast tracking the establishment and operationalisation of the National Mining Company within the same timeframe. Government further plans to roll out large scale projects expected to drive employment and growth by 2030, including industrial parks, a SADC University of Transformation, a National Referral Hospital, TVET tertiary colleges, an intermodal transport and logistics system, and a national spatial planning and institutional housing project. Infrastructure expansion is also on the agenda, with plans for 500 kilometres of tarred roads, factory shells, and a new Parliament by 2028.
On Governance, Policy, and Institutional Strengthening, Cabinet resolved to review the Procurement Act and develop a new procurement policy by December 2026. The development of a Comprehensive Anti Corruption Strategy by 2026 will cut across all sectors.
Energy and Digital Transformation completes the priority list, with Government aiming to achieve energy security by 2030 and establish a national mobile payment gateway by 2028.
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