AMP Eswatini has reached another major milestone with the commencement of construction of Productive Use of Energy (PUE) facilities in Mvundla and Bulimeni, following the award of the development contract to Narrow Path Investments. The development represents the culmination of a carefully coordinated journey that began with community mobilization, enterprise development training, and cooperative formation, ensuring that local communities are ready to transform clean energy into sustainable businesses once the Mvundla minigrid is overlaid and the Bulimeni minigrid becomes operational.
Speaking on the milestone, AMP Country Program Manager Ncamiso Nkambule said the commencement of the PUE facilities at the AMP’s pilot sites in Mvundla and Bulimeni marks an important step in demonstrating how renewable energy can become a catalyst for inclusive economic growth through activities that improve communities and livelihoods.
Ahead of construction, AMP, through its implementing partner SEDCO, invested heavily in preparing communities through MSME development training, cooperative governance, business formalisation, and entrepreneurship development. These interventions resulted in the establishment of community cooperatives that will manage enterprises powered by electricity from the minigrids.
SEDCO Product Support Specialist Dabulamanzi Lukhele said AMP deliberately prioritized community readiness before infrastructure development. He added that the MSME trainings, which included strengthening entrepreneurship skills, were also intended to ensure communities were ready to operate once work at the pilot sites is complete. A cooperative registered in Mvundla, the Sivikelwe Mvundla Multipurpose Cooperative, is expected to operate businesses including hammer milling, baking, textile production, and sewing services, while similar productive enterprises are being developed for Bulimeni to maximzse the economic value of renewable energy investments.
Community members have welcomed the commencement of work, describing it as the beginning of a new era for rural development. “For many years, we have hoped for opportunities that would allow us to build businesses within our own community. Today, we are seeing those hopes becoming a reality. The training gave us confidence and the construction of these facilities shows that the programme is delivering on its promises,” said one cooperative member from Mvundla.
A community representative from Bulimeni said the project would create opportunities for young people and women while reducing the need to travel long distances to access essential services. “These projects will give us more than electricity, giving us opportunities to earn a living, create employment and improve the future of our families. We are excited to see the work finally beginning,” the community member said.
The ongoing work at the PUE facilities marks the transition from planning to implementation and reinforces AMP’s broader objective of promoting renewable energy as a driver of entrepreneurship, private sector participation, and inclusive socio-economic development. Once completed, the projects will enable communities in Mvundla and Bulimeni to leverage clean energy for productive enterprises, creating sustainable livelihoods while advancing Eswatini’s transition to a green economy.
