Search

Begin New Search Political Geography Swaziland

11. Sexual Harassment in the Workplace in Swaziland

Author:
Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre
Publication Date:
01-2018
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre (ESEPARC)
Abstract:
This report provides detailed findings of an investigation into workplace sexual harassment focusing on the private sector and non-government organisations (NGOs) in Swaziland. The analysis provides benchmark information on the nature and extent of workplace sexual harassment in a bid to establish suitable interventions (policies, systems and programmes) that will facilitate behavioural changes for the protection and mitigation against all forms of workplace sexual harassment.
Topic:
Labor Issues, Sexual Violence, Work Culture, and Gender
Political Geography:
Africa and Swaziland

12. Industry Labor Force Skills Gap Investigation

Author:
Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre
Publication Date:
01-2018
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre (ESEPARC)
Abstract:
Sluggish economic growth coupled with high unemployment rates have become synonymous with the economy in Swaziland. In particular, youth unemployment, which stood at 51.6% in 2014, the last year for which reliable data is available, has skyrocketed amidst limited opportunities for young people in the economy. Put differently, these figures suggest that one in every two young people in Swaziland is unemployed. Moreover, the ‘youth bulge’ – a situation in which the population share of the 15-24 year-olds exceeds 20% and the share of the 0-14 year-olds (often also referred to as the "children bulge" and a good predictor of future youth bulges) is higher than 30% –, means the country’s population is also growing faster than jobs are created. This calls for urgent strategies and public policies that can transform the economy, reignite economic growth, and capitalise on Swaziland’s youthful population. Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has emerged as a credible route for the production of the necessary skills and knowledge that will feed directly into industry in a bid to enhance the employability of young people and create employment. Indeed, the talent, know-how, skills and capabilities of human capital can provide the relevant stock of competencies needed to increase efficiency and overall productivity in industry. However, at the present moment, there is very little information on whether or not the skills produced by the TVET sector in Swaziland are meeting the needs of industry. Conceivably, this has compromised efforts aimed at increasing the contribution of TVET in human capital development in Swaziland. In an attempt to make TVET education more relevant in Swaziland, His Majesty’s government has partnered with the government of the Republic of China on Taiwan, which has agreed to provide assistance in upgrading technical skills in Swaziland with a focus on the automotive, electrical engineering, and information and communications technology (ICT) industries. This Report presents the results of a TVET-industry skills gap analysis in the automotive, electrical engineering, and information and communications technology (ICT) industries in Swaziland. It investigates the relevancy of the skills supplied by the TVET institutions against the skills demanded/required by the three industries considered in this study. Closing the skills gap in the technical and vocational labour force could directly impact the productivity of local companies, create new enterprises, and enable the economy to grow through both formal and informal employment. The study focuses on four objectives: (i) to ascertain the development trends in each of the three industries and specify the existing challenges and opportunities; (ii) to assess the capacity and quality of Swaziland’s TVET system and its position to serve the skills required by industry; (iii) to identify the gaps between the skills supplied by TVET training institutions in Swaziland, (particularly, SCOT, and Gwamile VOCTIM) versus the skills demanded by the automotive, electrical, and ICT industries; and (iv) to recommend strategies for reducing the labour force skills gap within the three focus industries.
Topic:
Economics, Education, Employment, Economic Growth, Training, Vocational Training, and Industry
Political Geography:
Africa and Swaziland

13. The State of the National System of Innovation in Swaziland

Author:
Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre
Publication Date:
03-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre (ESEPARC)
Abstract:
Swaziland, in the National Development Strategy (NDS), aspires to achieve development through investments in science, technology, and innovation (STI). However, using innovation to uplift the country from poverty and tackle economic growth requires investment in research and experimental development (R&D), human capital development, and the establishment of relevant institutions and governing bodies to direct scientific and technological development which are currently missing. Due to low investments in innovation and R&D, the lack of funding sources, absence of a national STI strategy and R&D agenda, and low collaboration between institutions, the country is struggling to propel STI-driven development. As a result, Swaziland is largely a consumption-based economy, with high imports and low exports, and the domestic industry is underdeveloped. The implication is that as economies grow and become more competitive, Swaziland will continue to remain behind. Hence, to use STI to drive social and economic development the country needs to affirm this concession by developing a national STI strategy. Establishing a Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation would enhance the coordination of STI activities and manage the funding and implementation of STI policies.
Topic:
Development, Science and Technology, Economic Growth, and Innovation
Political Geography:
Africa and Swaziland

14. Youth Unemployment in Africa: Capacity Building and Innovative Strategies

Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
Abstract:
The aim of this Occasional Paper produced by the African Capacity Building Foundation is to provoke evidence-based discussion, and encourage further investigation on the critical capacity challenges to be addressed to tackle youth unemployment in Africa. The paper assesses the causes and impacts of youth unemployment in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland. It profiles and characterizes the status and nature of youth unemployment as well as the strategies and programs—and identifies the challenges, implications, and gaps—to find ways to address it. Stakeholder and expert consultations with development partners, government, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations in addressing youth unemployment were carried out, as such research is crucial for identifying capacity gaps and key policy aspects to address it. The consultations were complemented with a review of success stories and best practices to inform strategies and capacity development interventions aimed to tackle youth unemployment and refine policy approaches toward inclusive, employment-creating, and sustainable economic growth.
Topic:
Development, Economic Growth, Youth, Capacity, Unemployment, Economic Development, and Sustainability
Political Geography:
Africa, South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia, and Botswana

15. Canaries in the Coal Mines: An analysis of spaces for LGBTI activism in Swaziland

Author:
Wendy Kessman
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
The Other Foundation
Abstract:
The recognition of the human rights of LGBTI people in Swaziland is still in its infancy. The LGBTI movement, born from a need to address social isolation and violence against LGBTI people, is currently in the midst of a reflective process of learning from past mistakes, and healing from losses, old and new.
Topic:
Human Rights, LGBT+, Exclusion, and Activism
Political Geography:
Africa and Swaziland

16. Canaries in the Coal Mines: An analysis of spaces for LGBTI activism in southern Africa

Author:
Mark Gevisser
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
The Other Foundation
Abstract:
Like coal miners used caged canary birds, whose death was a warning sign of toxic gases in the mine tunnels, homosexual women and men, and transgender and intersex people in southern Africa are at the coalface of the multiple dangers in many of our societies today. How our societies treat lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people is symptomatic of the dangers facing all people who are excluded in some way or another in our societies, by those who have a grip on social, economic, and political power. To assess the depth and nature of social exclusion of LGBTI people across southern Africa and better understand how LGBTI groups are organizing to transform that reality, the Other Foundation commissioned studies of ten countries in southern Africa: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe participated in the development of the studies.
Topic:
Human Rights, LGBT+, Exclusion, and Activism
Political Geography:
Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Swaziland, Namibia, Mauritius, Botswana, Lesotho, and Southern Africa

17. The Socio-Economic Impacts of the 2015/16 EL Niño Induced Drought in Swaziland

Author:
Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre
Publication Date:
06-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre (ESEPARC)
Abstract:
This report provides detailed findings of an investigation into the socioeconomic impacts of the 2015/16 El Niño drought in Swaziland. It records the direct and indirect effects of the drought on the economy of Swaziland and documents how it has affected households, businesses, and the environment. The economic evaluation of drought impacts is essential in order to define efficient and sustainable management and mitigation strategies. The study documents the effects of the 2015/16 drought on the economy of Swaziland, extrapolates how it may have affected the implementation of the country’s developmental mandate, and deduces the suitability of the country’s disaster risk management policy to respond to natural disasters like droughts. The study concludes by quantifying the economic costs and overall effects, in monetary terms, of the drought to Swaziland.
Topic:
Natural Disasters, Socioeconomics, and Drought
Political Geography:
Africa and Swaziland

18. 2016 Public Service Customer Satisfaction Parid Assessment Report for the Kingdom of Swaziland

Author:
Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre
Publication Date:
09-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre (ESEPARC)
Abstract:
The key objective of providing government services to the citizens is to improve their quality of life and therefore citizens are better positioned to provide feedback on whether government services satisfied their needs. The Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development (MTAD) is an institution established in 2009, mandated with the responsibility of improving efficiency and effectiveness of government service delivery at regional level in Swaziland. The Decentralization Policy of 2006 provides for directives to government and all its agencies to ensure that people access services closer to where they live and that administrative institutions at community level have the requisite capacity to deliver such services, woven together by a combination of cohesive Swazi traditional systems and contemporary modern administrative and governance systems. Against this background, it was deemed important for MTAD to undertake the 2016 Public Service Customer Satisfaction Survey in order to provide a tool for assessing government Ministries that provide public services to citizens. Measuring the satisfaction levels of public service customers is a crucial tool in the determination of the outcome and impact of public service delivery programmes. The systematic customer satisfaction survey was conducted to assess opinions and perceptions of citizens on selected services offered by the government. This survey demonstrated government’s commitment to improving public services through the engagement of citizens at all levels of service delivery.
Topic:
Development, Governance, Public Opinion, and Leadership
Political Geography:
Africa and Swaziland

19. Being an Advocate for Human Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa: Jeffrey Smith

Author:
Jeffrey Smith
Publication Date:
09-2015
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Fletcher Security Review
Institution:
The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Abstract:
Jeffrey Smith is currently Program Officer at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights where he manages the organization’s advocacy projects that focus on sub-Saharan Africa. He collaborates closely with grassroots civic activists and journalists across the continent—and the world—to highlight pressing human rights concerns to a wider audience. Mr. Smith’s research and advocacy has covered Zimbabwe, The Gambia, Swaziland, and Kenya, among others. He appears frequently in media outlets as an expert commentator on African affairs, including on CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, NPR, BBC, and Voice of America. Mr. Smith is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, where he also received a master’s degree in international relations and was the university’s first recipient of its distinguished human rights graduate certificate.
Topic:
International Relations, Civil Society, Human Rights, and Interview
Political Geography:
Kenya, Africa, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and Gambia

20. Provisional Registration of a Retirement Fund under Scrutiny in Swaziland

Author:
Mtendeweka Mhango and P. Thejane
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
African Journal of Legal Studies
Institution:
The Africa Law Institute
Abstract:
Recently the Industrial Court of Swaziland was faced with a complaint in Mngadi v Motor Vehicle Accident Fund's Pension Fund, which raised two important issues of first impression in Swaziland retirement law. This note discusses the significance and effects of Mngadi on provisional registration of retirement funds in Swaziland. It argues that Mngadi should be welcomed because it clarifies the significance of the need for retirement funds to operate in accordance with their registered rules. The note also discusses the problems with the Registrar's power to issue a provisional certificate of registration under Section 5 in light of the problems that emerged in Mngadi. The note argues that Mngadi should be welcomed because it highlights the characteristics of a defined benefit fund, and implicitly distinguishes it from a defined contribution fund. While Mngadi should generally be welcomed, the Industrial Court should be criticised for its failure to develop the law.
Topic:
Law
Political Geography:
Swaziland