Swazi Observer

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BUSINESS SECTOR READY TO MONETISE GOOGLE PARTNERSHIP

By NOKUNCEDA MAGAGULA AND NOMFANELO MAZIYA | 2025-01-22

The country’s business sector is beaming with excitement about the endless opportunities to be extended by the ministry of information, communication and technology in through its landmark partnership with Google.

The various stakeholders expressed optimism, highlighting that this presented an opportunity for businesses to reach greater heights.

They said this partnership opened up opportunities for the youth to tap into the global digital economy, monetise content creation and further equip the country with the much needed digital skills.

Economist Thembinkosi Dube said the country was strategically positioned to capitalise on the growing digital economy presented by the newly-launched Eswatini-Google partnership.

A key avenue for monetisation, Dube highlighted, lies in the realm of content creation on platforms like YouTube.

“The platform has the potential to generate substantial income for Emaswati. We have a burgeoning community of talented content creators who are eager to tap into this market,” said Dube.

The partnership with Google is expected to facilitate Emaswati's participation in the digital economy, fostering innovation and creating new avenues for economic growth.

“The partnership will be very beneficial for the economy, as this will help content producers. Emaswati are more than capable and are already creating content on their own; however, they have not been able to monetize it,” he said.

He further noted that this could potentially play a role in the eradication of unemployment in the country.

“There are people who make a living from creating videos. When Emaswati are able to earn money from it, it will be for the better,” he said.

This partnership can also encourage the development and distribution of locally-made apps and games as well as the effective utilising of Google Ads to reach local and international markets.

Dube described the partnership as excellent, emphasising that it would play a major role in curbing unemployment.

He added that improving government’s system would also be an important factor for the economy because efficient and transparent government systems minimised corruption, levelling playing field for businesses and fostering trust among citizens.

This encourages investment and economic activity, according to the economist.
Meanwhile, the Youth Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Eswatini (YCCIE) said Eswatini’s partnership with Google would provide a wealth of opportunities for the youth in business.

YCCIE President Sakhile Nsibande shared that she personally attended a launch with the Ministry of ICT and Google for the "Government in Your Hand" programme, a cornerstone of the Eswatini Digitalization Strategy (2024-2028).

She said the partnership launch marked a significant milestone as Eswatini became the first country in Africa to integrate Google Workspace for government activities.

“This partnership opens up a wealth of opportunities, particularly for our youth in business,” she said.

Nsibande explained that there would be many spillover effects along the way, and young people would be capacitated and gain numerous opportunities.

Worthnoting is that during the launch, Google Cloud Interim Sales Manager Basil Ayass said standing in long queues for services such as passport applications should become a thing of the past.

He said they would utilise Google Cloud to bring the Google consumer experience to public sector missions, enabling customers to undergo transformations simply, securely, quickly, and intelligently.

He stated that the necessary technologies were available to achieve this vision and that all they required from the government was its commitment, and they would facilitate its implementation through their technology. He mentioned that their ambition in Eswatini was to forge a strategic alliance to accelerate digital transformation and enhance the adoption of cloud computing services within the country.

"We are not here to simply produce impressive presentations, create superficial plans, or offer applications that are subsequently abandoned. This is a long-term partnership that we must ensure is effectively adopted by the citizens. To achieve this, it must be simple, secure and fast," he said.

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