Mbabane – Government cannot afford to accept excuses when tourism systems are failing to support the industry, Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini said, insisting that the challenges must be fixed without further delay to help create jobs, particularly for young people.
He was speaking on September 17, 2026, during the second Tourism Nkwe Conference held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mbabane, where he responded to challenges raised by tourism stakeholders, including concerns surrounding payment systems.
Addressing a representative of the Central Bank of Eswatini, the Prime Minister said the explanation provided on the challenges did not fully match what the tourism industry required.
“I believe actually it doesn’t match what we need. What we need is a system of systems, of the industry that we have,” he said.
Dlamini said Eswatini had “no luxury of taking too long” to address the challenges, given the need for government to create employment opportunities.
“Government has to create jobs. People like money, and we create jobs, particularly for youth. So we have no luxury of taking too long to fix this,” he said.
He acknowledged the work being done by the Central Bank and appreciated the explanation provided, but stressed that stakeholders should not allow explanations to become excuses for failing to resolve the problems.
“Frankly, we must not accept excuses. Everyone here, we must not accept excuses,” Dlamini said.
He pointed to other countries that had succeeded in addressing similar challenges, questioning why Eswatini should continue giving excuses instead of finding solutions.
“Other countries have succeeded. And this thing happened, we give excuses,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the concerns raised during the conference should also be communicated to government, emphasising the need for action on the systems affecting the tourism industry.
His remarks placed particular emphasis on ensuring that payment and other systems supporting tourism are practical and responsive to the needs of the industry and the wider economy.
Dlamini said resolving the challenges was important as the country seeks to use tourism to create economic opportunities and employment, particularly for young people.
Discussion about this post