Small Enterprises Development Company (SEDCO)

Our Background

SEDCO is a category “A” public enterprise under the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade established in 1970 to awaken, promote and support entrepreneurial talent with a vision and prime focus to create jobs and sustainable employment within the Small, Micro and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMME’s) and thus make meaningful contribution in the larger socio-economic development of the country.

Since establishment, a nationwide demand for SEDCO’s business education, training and consultancy services has been observed from active and potential entrepreneurs. Through our services, a substantial number of our clients have received financial support from local financial institutions. This is an indication that SEDCO is aggressively taking its rightful role in facilitating and guiding entrepreneurial activity in the country’s critical economic driver, the SMME sector.

PAST PERFORMANCES

During the past year, SEDCO was able to help businesses to obtain over E 7 Million loans from various financial institutions within the country and abroad. This has prompted the Swazi Bank to accredit SEDCO to help its clients in business service provision. This amount is expected to increase to more than E10 Million in the next year.

Over 1000 entrepreneurs were trained in business management at various levels in the past year. This figure will increase dramatically over the years.

Over to 400 companies were registered through the help of SEDCO during the past year.

The World Vision International sought the services of SEDCO in empowering of its clients on business management and in business plan development.

The Ministry of Enterprise and Employment has appointed SEDCO as one of accredited service providers through the SME unit to provide training and counseling to identify clients. The programme is called the Incentive Scheme.

Swaziland Government as contracted SEDCO to the Capacity. Building Programme

Future Goals

Construction of new estates at Lavumisa, Mankayane and Siteki are still outstanding due to unavailability of funds to finance construction of estates in these areas, and the commitment shown by the Town Boards by allocating land to SEDCO. For such a purpose, one cannot ignore the potential of increased job creation if these requests could be responded to positively. If these estates are happened to be constructed a lot of training and counseling would be done since a new crop of entrepreneurs will be accommodated in these estates.

There are areas within the Tinkhundla centers that need development to become estates to accommodate those entrepreneurs who seek accommodation for their businesses within the Centres.