Russell Mmiso Dlamini says the country’s budget process is flawed and requires reforms to ensure proper planning and effective service delivery.
The Prime Minister made the remarks during the debate of the Prime Minister’s Office 2025/2026 performance report in the House of Assembly of Eswatini yesterday.
Dlamini began by acknowledging the challenges government faces in meeting the needs of the nation due to limited financial resources.
He said the commotion surrounding the national budget largely stemmed from the fact that available funds were insufficient to meet the demands of all ministries and sectors.
According to the Prime Minister, the shortage of funds made it difficult for government to fairly distribute resources among ministries.
He explained that government often faced the dilemma of deciding which ministry’s funding should be reduced and which one should receive more.
However, he clarified that the final decision on the national budget rests with Cabinet, not the Prime Minister alone.
“The budget presented in Parliament is approved by Cabinet and not by the Prime Minister alone,” he said.
Dlamini added that Cabinet had spent more time reviewing this year’s budget compared to previous years since his administration assumed office.
The Prime Minister said reforms were necessary and welcomed Cabinet’s decision to implement changes following consultations with experts during a government retreat.
He explained that the current system involved the Ministry of Finance (Eswatini) requesting approval of budget ceilings before distributing them across ministries.
“If the budget has increased by five per cent, each ministry receives five per cent more and we expect them to do big things with the little they get,” he said.
Dlamini argued that the system discouraged proper planning because ministries largely relied on their previous budgets and simply added a percentage increase.
“Cabinet decided to change this. We were not planning because the way the process is structured dictates that ministries follow previous budgets,” he said.
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The Prime Minister said reforms would ensure that government projects were properly planned before receiving funding.
He said government should be able to decline funding for projects that were not ready for implementation.
“I want us one day to be able to say a ministry is not ready because it does not have a concept, a curriculum or classrooms, therefore we cannot approve their project,” he said.
Dlamini explained that in some cases funds allocated to one ministry had to be redirected to another that was better prepared to implement projects.
He described this approach as proper prioritisation, which ensures that government initiatives progress rather than stagnate.
The Prime Minister also highlighted procurement as another major factor affecting government service delivery.
He said Cabinet had approved the need to amend the Public Procurement Act (Eswatini), noting that the current system had contributed to delays and corruption.
“Delivery is affected by spreading the budget too thinly and another thing that affects delivery is procurement,” he said.
Dlamini revealed that the Ministry of Finance was still working on the proposed amendments but expressed frustration at the slow progress.
The Prime Minister also addressed concerns about deportees, explaining that government had entered into an agreement with the United States Government regarding the matter.
He said the agreement was binding and clearly outlined how funds would be deposited and utilised.
“Cabinet looked at the agreement and approved how the funds would be used. There is a minute to prove that, which I think is important for the House to know,” he said.
