Digital Eswatini

pipeline

The Digital Eswatini Project aims to assist the country to harness its digital potential - ensuring that all citizens and businesses have access to high-quality, low-cost connectivity, that public services are easily accessible online, and that the digital economy is driving growth, innovation and job creation. The project has three main components with several sub-components which aligns with the Inclusive Digitalization in Eastern and Southern Africa (IDEA) pillars. Component 1: Affordable BroadBand. This will support expand access to affordable broadband connectivity through a sequential roadmap of reforms. Sub-component 1.1 will support financial stablization of Eswatini Post and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC); Sub-component 1.2 will support construction of new fiber optic networks, repairs and upgrading of copper networks to fiber optics including expanding broadband networks by connecting 38 Thikundla centers, 859 schools and 134 health centers, providing bulk pre-purchased internet capacity and competitive bidding process for providing last mile connectivity packages, and sub-component 1.3 will support technical assistance to improve policy and legislative framework for governing digital infrastructure. Component 2: Government in your hand, will support uptake of connectivity via complementary interventions such as deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure building blocks to enhance efficiency in both public and private sector, enhance digital safeguards, supporting digitalizing priority government services through digital paper records, setting up digital systems and building critical mass of digital skilled workers, under sub-component 2.1. Sub-component 2.2 will support technical assistance for developing and implementing a roadmap for digitalization of services, operationalization of e-service roadmap including good required for digitalization of services such as procurement of interoperable systems, Information, Communication and Technology equipment etc. and capacity building for the Royal Science and Technology Park. Sub-component 2.3 will support upskilling of government staff with required technical skills, scaling targeted advance skills programs or providing scholarships to students to attend existing advance digital training programs and scaling up existing advance digital literacy programs with donors and private sector partners. Component 3: Program management and capacity building will support the PIU and relevant capacity training needs.