Eswatini - Digital Eswatini Project

Overview & Synopsis

Digital Eswatini Project for Eswatini has the development objectives to increase access to affordable broadband internet and improve government capacity to deliver digital public services. Component 1: Affordable Broadband will expand access through a sequenced blend of sector reforms and targeted backbone investments. Sub-component 1.1: Eswatini Post and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC) Stabilization and Reform will support EPTC’s financial stabilization and performance improvements, including transitioning from a legacy defined benefit pension to a defined contribution scheme through payments for pensioners and active members under supervisory oversight, reinforced by performance-based conditions. Sub-component 1.2: National Broadband Market Expansion will build or upgrade open-access, climate-resilient fiber backbone and middle-mile links and connect public institutions such as schools, health centers, government offices, and Tinkhundla Centers; it will competitively procure last-mile connectivity packages, including public wireless hotspots and devices, operated by licensed network operators including EPTC and Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC), consistent with green ICT standards. Sub-component 1.3: Enabling Legal, Regulatory and Institutional ICT Environment will provide technical assistance and capacity building to the Eswatini Communications Commission (ESCCOM) and the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (MICT) to revise the Communications Act, implement open-access and infrastructure sharing guidelines, establish a price glide path for wholesale services, and strengthen market oversight. Component 2: Government in Your Hand will accelerate secure, inclusive, user-centric digital service delivery anchored in interoperable platforms. Sub-component 2.1: Developing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) will strengthen whole-of-government coordination and deliver foundational building blocks, including upgraded biometric civil registration and digital identification with authentication and verifiable credentials; trust services; operationalization of a national Cybersecurity Incident Response Team (CIRT) and a Security and Network Operations Center; implementation of the Data Protection Act through a compliance platform and sector guidelines; a government data governance and interoperability framework with a shared data exchange; and a whole-of-government e-payment gateway integrated with the e-services portal. Sub-component 2.2: Digitalization of Priority Government Services will redesign the e-services portal for multichannel access (web, mobile, USSD or SMS), integrate with digital ID and payments, digitize legacy records, reengineer processes, and deploy ICT equipment to deliver end-to-end digital services in Education, Health, Home Affairs, and Commerce, complemented by change management, outreach, and capacity reinforcement for the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP). Sub-component 2.3: Developing Digital Skills will scale digital literacy and advanced skills programs, including scholarships and targeted training with labor market linkages, prioritizing women, youth, and persons with disabilities. Component 3: Project Management and Capacity Building will finance project coordination, fiduciary management, monitoring and evaluation, environmental and social risk management, stakeholder engagement and grievance redress, independent verification of performance-based conditions, procurement and quality assurance, climate adaptation integration in infrastructure roll-out, and training and knowledge exchange to strengthen institutional capacity for sustained delivery.