Manzini- Eswatini is on course to achieving its target of sourcing half of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, with the official handover of two major climate resilience projects expected to significantly accelerate the country’s transition to clean energy and disaster preparedness.
Speaking during the official handover of the Greening of the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital and the Enhancement of Early Warning Systems projects, standing in for the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla said the projects demonstrate the country’s commitment to building a low-carbon, climate-resilient future while strengthening essential public services.
She revealed that the newly completed solar installation will enable RFM Hospital to operate on about 98 percent solar photovoltaic (PV) energy, describing it as a model that can be replicated across other public and private institutions.
“The renewable energy project provides a great opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of clean energy systems that can be replicated in other institutions through reduced energy demand, lower electricity costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions,” she said.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the government remained confident that Eswatini would meet its national commitment of doubling the share of renewable energy to 50 percent of the country’s energy mix by 2030, relative to 2010 levels.
Beyond clean energy, she said the partnership with the Italian Government had strengthened Eswatini’s ability to prepare for climate-related disasters through upgraded early warning systems.
Recalling the devastating El Niño drought that struck Southern Africa a decade ago, Dladla said the country had now been equipped with enhanced weather forecasting technology and a telemetric hydrological observation system capable of monitoring river levels and issuing timely flood and drought warnings.
“Our farmers and local businesses are yet to recover from the losses experienced during that drought. Through support from the Italian Government, Eswatini has been equipped with an enhanced Early Warning System to strengthen awareness and preparedness should a similar event occur again,” she said.
She noted that despite contributing less than 0.007 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Eswatini continued to prioritise climate action because of its vulnerability to climate change.
Dladla said the latest phase of cooperation with Italy builds on an earlier partnership that invested in solar energy infrastructure, hydrometeorological observation systems, weather forecasting technology and climate expert training.
The expanded programme now also covers biodiversity conservation, renewable energy and sustainable development, while placing greater emphasis on youth participation, innovation and community resilience.
She said the cooperation aligns with Eswatini’s recently adopted Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), the national climate strategy and international commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kigali Amendment.
Dladla also urged beneficiary institutions to ensure the long-term sustainability of the projects through proper maintenance and continued collaboration.
She welcomed the fact that part of the funding had been dedicated to skills transfer and capacity building for officials from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy, the University of Eswatini Centre for Sustainable Energy Research, the Meteorology Department and the Department of Water Affairs.
She further acknowledged the support of the United Nations Development Programme for providing technical expertise that helped ensure the successful implementation of the projects.
Discussion about this post