By Delisa Thwala
The Green Indaba ended with a call for action, emphasizing practical solutions to build a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy through collaboration.
The annual Green Indaba concluded with a commitment to shifting the focus from problems to solutions to transform Eswatini into a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy.
The two-day conference, held between August 22-23, 2024, was a collaborative effort between the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini, SNG Grant Thornton, and the United Nations.
Its main goal is to support the government and private sector’s efforts to promote climate-smart investments in Eswatini.
The Indaba saw a diverse group of participants – government officials, private sector leaders, civil society representatives, development partners, and ordinary citizens
come together to voice ideas, share experiences, and co-create solutions to some of the most pressing challenges, such as climate change, unemployment, slow economic growth, and gender inequality.
Delegates at the second edition of the Indaba concurred that while policies and strategies are in place to create climate-resilient food systems, there is a need for targeted implementation.
They also resolved with a solid purpose to intentionally promote youth-centered and gender-transformative actions to accelerate climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Delegates called for increased collaboration within and among different public and private sectors and called for smart and sustainable financing solutions to promote Private Public Partnerships (PPPs).
After considering the importance of financing in the transition to a green economy, delegates resolved to explore various funding options, including mobilizing local resources aligned with greening the economy.
They also aimed to leverage the Greening the Central Bank Project, which seeks to position the Central Bank of Eswatini as a pioneering financial institution that promotes an effective transition to green financial services in the country.
This initiative aligns the country’s development pathway with Eswatini’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), also referred to as the climate action plan, and the National Development Plan.
Under the NDC Partnership, the Central Bank has partnered with UNDP to implement this project.
The SNG Grant Thornton Partner, Vusi Nkabinde, observed that the delegates have said the right things and identified the gaps.
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“Now is the time to ask ourselves if we are willing to do the necessary and come up with measurable and implementable solutions,” he said.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator, George Wachira, shared similar sentiments, adding that the discussions have underscored the importance of aligning our efforts, maximizing resources, and moving forward with a well-defined low-carbon and climate change resilient development framework.
He was represented by UNDP Resident Representative Henrik Franklin.
He emphasized that the NDCs were central to the discussion and are key to efforts to transition to a low-carbon and climate-change-resilient economy, highlighting that the climate action plan requires investment from both the public and private sectors.
He reminded delegates that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a universally agreed framework for achieving sustainability, both here in Eswatini and globally, although there is a staggering $3.9 trillion financing gap for SDG implementation globally.
“This figure should not deter us; rather, it should motivate us to be more innovative and collaborative in mobilizing resources,” he said.
Wachira said the Green Indaba has identified several key areas of intervention that provide low-hanging fruit for greening Eswatini’s economy.
These include electrifying health facilities through renewable energy technologies, investing in clean cooking options for households and schools – particularly the school feeding program – climate-smart agriculture;
including irrigation schemes and drought tolerant seed varieties, and development of innovative financial instruments such as green bonds, to mention a few.
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In her closing remarks, the Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Hon. Jane Mkhonta-Simelane, committed to reporting the Indaba’s recommendations to the Cabinet and to continuing to uphold the Ministry’s role in creating an enabling environment.
She said green businesses, as the youth observed, need to be profitable and sustainable if uptake is to be improved.
She added that technology, training, and financing, which came up throughout the discussions, should be considered cross-cutting issues and given attention in future deliberations.
She further expressed gratitude to all partners, including the ministries of Finance, Agriculture, and Health; SNG Grant Thornton; UN; Central Bank of Eswatini;
Financial Services Regulatory Authority; Eswatini Stock Exchange; University of Eswatini; Global Reporting Initiative, USAID and Wander Port Networks.
