Manzini- Eswatini’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) could strengthen their chances of securing new customers, partnerships and investment by building stronger business systems and obtaining recognised standards certification.
This emerged during the Eswatini Standards Authority (ESWASA) Standards Seminar held at the Mavuso Trade Centre on Monday under the theme “Green Standards: Financing & Building Eswatini’s Sustainable Future.”
Ubombo Sugar Limited-Eswatini Head of Finance Philile Nxumalo said SMEs should stop viewing certification as an additional cost and instead regard it as an investment in the long-term sustainability and credibility of their businesses.
“My key advice would be don’t use certification as a cost but look at it as an investment in making your business sustainable in the future,” Nxumalo said.
She said SMEs did not necessarily have to meet every requirement at once, advising them to begin with the fundamentals and progressively strengthen their systems.
Nxumalo said businesses should first understand what their customers require and improve their internal practices before pursuing certification.
“Don’t do things just because the standards say so, rather, focus on excellence in your own practices,” she said.
The commercial value of this approach was demonstrated by Lujilo Honey Safety Officer Mphilolenhle Methula, who said the certification process forced the company to examine its operations more closely.
Methula said the business had to assess whether its processes were being consistently followed and properly documented, resulting in improvements in hygiene, sanitation, safe processing, packaging and storage.
She said certification subsequently strengthened the company’s credibility when dealing with business partners and potential customers.
“Receiving the certification wasn’t the end of our journey,” Methula said. “It was just the beginning of a greater responsibility to strengthen our credibility in presenting our product to business partners and potential customers.”
The seminar also drew attention to the connection between sound business systems and access to finance, bringing together stakeholders from standards, business development and financial services, including Standard Bank Eswatini and the Industrial Development Corporation of Eswatini (IDCE).
While certification does not automatically qualify an SME for financing, businesses with documented processes, stronger internal controls and evidence of compliance may be better positioned when approaching financiers and commercial partners.
Methula said the certification journey had helped Lujilo Honey appreciate the importance of establishing systems capable of supporting the business as it grows.
She encouraged SMEs to approach certification as a continuous improvement process rather than a once-off compliance exercise.
“Start where you are, identify your needs, strengthen your processes and remain committed to improvement,” she said.
The message comes as SMEs increasingly seek to move beyond the local market, where consistency, quality assurance and compliance can determine whether a business is able to attract larger customers and participate in wider supply chains.
For Eswatini’s smaller businesses, the seminar therefore positioned standards not merely as regulatory requirements, but as part of the infrastructure needed to build credible and scalable enterprises.
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