13/06/2011 (Swazi Observer) - TODAY we continue to look at the sectors that from part of the international dialogue agenda and how these topics relate to Swaziland.

The previous weeks we looked at two topics; Agriculture to Agri-business and Promoting ICT enterprises.
Three other topics on the agenda include Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Malaysia-Africa Trade and Competitiveness in Manufacturing with focus on the quality and standards of goods for trade. Our climate change focal office, the meteorology services department, the trade department in the ministry of commerce and industry and the Swaziland Standards Authority (SWASA), share the importance of our interaction with the rest of the world on these issues and what will be of benefit to us.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Swaziland, as a country in Sub-Saharan Africa, has been categorised as one of these countries that will suffer most from climate change.

In particular, the poor will be severely affected as their adaptive capacity remains low, and Swaziland currently reports a high percentage of its populace to be living below the poverty line. As the country goes to participate in the dialogue, it will be of high benefit for the climate change focal point to participate with the view of learning what other countries, especially Malaysia, are doing to deal with climate Change.
In particular, Swaziland still does not have a climate change policy and the dialogue would present a good opportunity to network with other countries with the view to learn of their best practices in: resource mobilisation for policy development; policy development and content; and policy implementation frameworks and strategies.

In addition, as the dialogue will be based on site visits, it would be advantageous to have the relevant sectors participate in order to improve their capacity to mainstream climate change and sustainable development into their sectoral plans and policies.

In particular, the first site visit for Group 5 shall be to the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). This visit would be highly beneficial to the ministry of natural resources and energy, energy department, which deals with biofuels in the country. World-wide, a high percentage of the emissions contributing to climate change come from the energy sector, and this is also the case in Swaziland. This presents an opportunity to contribute towards climate change mitigation. One may argue that the total emissions emanating from Swaziland are globally insignificant, however, climate change mitigation presents an opportunity for resource efficiency, improved energy availability and independence, and sustainable development (as development cannot continue sustainably without a sustainable, affordable energy supply and if resources are being wasted). Though Swaziland does not have the resources for palm oil, lessons can be learnt to deal with other possibilities of biofuels in the country. The department may also be in a position to share its experiences with biofuels, including jathropha.

The second visit shall be to the Core Competency Sdn. Bhd., Semenyih and to the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC)-UKM Incubator. The Core Competency Sdn. Bhd.’s vision is to initiate a holistic waste management approach to the treatment, processing and final disposal of municipal solid waste nationwide and to conserve the environment by providing integrated waste management solutions that are affordable, sustainable and have low environmental and social impact.

The country’s greenhouse gas inventory for the year 2000, which is still being finalised, reveals that the country has high emissions from the waste sectors, including municipal waste and the solid waste generated in rural areas and not dealt with by municipalities. The ministry of housing and urban development would benefit from visiting this site, as they would learn about how the Core Competency Sdn. Bhd. Implements its vision.

This has the potential of contributing to the ministry’s policies which would be in turn implemented by municipalities to minimise the negative impacts of solid waste to climate change, environmental health, etc.

In addition, this area had a potential for carbon credits, which would serve to dampen the development cost for the infrastructure that would be needed.

The ministry may also be in a position to share lessons learnt with the ministry of tinkhundla administration and development, which is responsible for the rural areas. If the vision of the Core Competency Sdn. Bhd. could be accomplished in Swaziland, the economy would benefit from, inter alia, a safer environment (including for human health) and revenue generation from waste management which would budget savings for monies currently used for solid waste management.

The visit to MTDC would benefit the ministry of information and communication technology (ICT), particularly for the development of the Science and Technology Park. The UKM Incubator of the MTDC houses several research institutes, including a biotechnology research and development facility and a research and development institute specialising in agro-organic activities. Research has the potential of contributing to both climate change mitigation and adaptation and to positively contribute to sustainable economic development.

MALAYSIA-AFRICA TRADE

Trade between Swaziland and Malaysia

Negligible as it may be, trade between Swaziland and Malaysia does exist. In the year 2009 for example, Swaziland exports to Malaysia amounted to US$131 272 00 while imports were US$5 559 822 43.

During the same year, as a percentage of Swaziland total trade, imports from Malaysia accounted for 0.4% and exports accounted for 0.09%.

Major imports include vehicles, animal and vegetable oils, printed material, rubber, chemicals and pharmaceuticals while major exports include organic chemicals, essential oils and perfumes, soaps, chemical products and plastics.    

Trade between Swaziland and Malaysia could be improved through participation in trade fairs and smart partnership dialogues such as the upcoming one, where networking with relevant potential investors and business partners is possible. Most importantly, trade between the two member states could be further improved through initiating trade negotiations for a Preferential Trade Area (PTA) or an FTA within the SACU context since Swaziland cannot engage in bilateral trade negotiations with Malaysia except either jointly as a block with SACU or through seeking concurrence from other SACU members.

Negotiating as a bloc would translate into negotiating not only with Malaysia but with the entire ASEAN region which comprises 10 member states namely: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.  Within Africa South Africa is Malaysia’s biggest trading partner hence Malaysia and South Africa are strategic gateways to each other’s regional markets and they could be used to foster economic growth. In the year 2006, trade between South Africa and Malaysia was more than US$1.1 billion.

Finally, the Kingdom of Swaziland has developed a National Export Strategy, which aims at addressing competitiveness, market diversification and public-private sector partnerships.  Priority sectors for exports were identified as follows: sugar, horticulture, citrus, handicrafts, food, tourism and ICT.

COMPETITIVENESS IN MANUFACTURING

SWASA Participation at LID 2011

The Swaziland Standards Authority (SWASA), will be sending its Executive Director, Dr. Lomkhosi Mkhonta, to the upcoming LID 2011 to be held in Putrajaya, Malaysia in June 2011.

Dr. Mkhonta is serving the Smart Partnership Movement (SPM) as the coordinator for the Quality and Standards link amongst the SADC standards bodies. In this regard she has been identified as a member of the LID 2011 Dialogue Resource Group.

In 2009, during the Munyonyo Global Dialogue in Uganda, the subject of transformation through national visions (by strengthening the quality infrastructure) was expounded upon for the second time after its introduction by Mr. Alan Bryden in Global 2008 in Zambia. The Quality and Standards link, premised on the Quality Inclusion Programme drafted by Dr. Mkhonta in 2010, was launched in Malaysia in July of the same year.

The launch was attended by most of the SADC ambassadors based in Malaysia, amongst which was our own Mpumelelo Hlophe. This event was recognised by the office of the prime minister of Malaysia, whose deputy addressed the gathering.

Promotion
Subsequent to that event, the Quality and Standards link of the SPM convened in Namibia in February 2011 to launch the National Quality Policy of Namibia in line with the Namibian National Vision. Immediately thereafter, was the launch of the Science, Technology and Innovation Park in Mozambique, whose facilities are still under construction, and fall under the drive for the promotion of the SPM Standards and Quality Inclusion Program.

Of interest in this year’s dialogue is that on the programme of the LID 2011, two of the dialogue-in-the-field sites are the Science, Innovation and Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) and the National Metrology Laboratory (NML) of Malaysia. SIRIM is the Conformity Assessment (CA) wing of the Quality Infrastructure of Malaysia (equivalent to the Quality Assurance Department of SWASA); and the NML is the Measurement Traceability facility of Malaysia, a function that SWASA is currently instituting with the assistance of UNIDO.

Appearance
The appearance of these two institutions on the LID 2011 programme only indicates the strength of the Quality and Standards link on the SPM agenda. During the Dialogue SWASA will canvass for the attachment of the SWASA auditors to SIRIM and get some pointers on the development of a National Metrology Institute from the NML of Malaysia. The latter will contribute to the metrology project that UNIDO is currently instituting with SWASA.

The Swaziland Standards Authority therefore sees great benefit in its continued contribution and participation in the Quality and Standards link of SPM. Participation in LID 2011 promises to be more rewarding to SWASA since her involvement in the SPM.