Mbabane – YouTube Music and several premium Google services remain largely inaccessible in Eswatini, restricting local artists’ ability to monetise content and limiting consumer access to global digital platforms. While basic YouTube, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Search are available, services such as Google Trends, Google Play Paid Apps, and Google TV face partial or full restrictions.
Research shows that paid apps on Google Play cannot be purchased locally, though free apps remain accessible. Google TV, which provides movies and TV shows, is not listed as available in the country. Developer-focused services, including certain features of the Google Maps / Places API, have limited coverage, while Google Street View remains fully accessible. Government initiatives such as “Government in Your Hand” indicate increasing local integration of Google services.
The absence of these services affects Emaswati creatives’ ability to reach international audiences, understand trends, and monetise their content efficiently. While Google AdSense allows creators to earn in dollars, limited access to YouTube Music and other premium services constrains potential revenue and digital growth.
ESCCOM Chief Executive, Mvilawemphi Dlamini, told Independent News that the unavailability of certain Google services is largely a commercial decision.
“As a foundation for the response, it is important to clarify that the issues you are raising, relating to the challenges local content developers and creatives on monetisation, are not associated to regulatory requirements imposed by ESCCOM,” he said.
He added that the restrictions are due to business decisions by platform owners such as Google and TikTok. “The decision by platform owners to enable paid for services and products is purely a commercial decision based on the country’s market size (population) and this only does not apply to Eswatini as a number of other countries are facing the same issue as we do,” he explained.
Dlamini said ESCCOM, alongside the Ministry of ICT, has met with Google to discuss service availability in Eswatini. “From these engagements, it was confirmed that Google has a strategy to launch services such as YouTube Music in phases, prioritizing countries and geographic regions with larger markets or higher demand,” he said.
He added that even a regional approach is challenging. “Eswatini is a relatively small market, and sits within a region where even our neighbours, with the exception of South Africa, do not have the required number of subscribers to be part of the platform. Pooling our numbers with neighbouring countries is not practical, as we all operate under different and unique regulatory frameworks so it cannot be a ‘one size fits all’ approach,” he said.
He said ESCCOM remains committed to creating a vibrant digital economy. “We have aspirations of a vibrant digital economy that delivers benefits for all, including Eswatini’s creatives, and we believe that progress is being made in pursuing monetization initiatives in the long term,” Dlamini added.
He also said the commission continues to engage with government and global partners to integrate Eswatini into future plans. “We have established relationships and presented our structure to Google in terms of the available opportunities, and we look forward to them launching services into our market, and signing agreements with local record labels and custodians of music rights in Eswatini,” he said.
He concluded by noting that Eswatini’s legal frameworks and spectrum resources are conducive for these services to operate fully.
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