About Us
Eswatini Environment Fund
Eswatini Environment Fund
The Eswatini Environment Fund (EEF) is a legal entity which was established through section 20 of the Environment Management Act (EMA) of 2002. Its mandate is to:
- Aggregate funds from different sources, to ensure sustainable funding for programmes, projects and activities that provide for and promote the protection, conservation and enhancement of the environment and the sustainable management of natural resources.
- Provide financial support for activities aimed at the enhancement, protection and conservation of the environment and the sustainable management of natural resources and supporting community participation in these activities.
- Enhance and restore the environment of Eswatini.
It is under the Ministry of Tourism & Environmental Affairs. The Fund is managed by the Board of Trustees that is appointed by the Hon. Minister in terms section 24 of the Environment Management Act (EMA) of 2002. According to section 23 subsection 3 of the EMA, 2002, the administration and operational costs of the fund are managed by & under policies set out by Eswatini Environment Authority (EEA). The operation and administration of the Fund is governed by the Eswatini Environment Fund Regulations of 2010. The Act makes EEA an administrator of the Fund, and the EEF strategic priorities have always been incorporated in the EEA strategy. That is, EEF has never had its own strategic plan but relied on EEA for direction.
EEF strives for an environmentally healthy Kingdom of Eswatini for sustainable livelihoods and well-being of Emaswati. The purpose of the fund is to promote environmental sustainability at grassroots level in the country. The EEA through the Board of Trustees (BOT) manages the operations of the fund, including inter alia, the identification of activities that stand to benefit from the fund from time to time.
Our Vision
“To be the leading funder for climate action and environmental sustainability initiatives in the Kingdom of Eswatini.”
Our Mission Statement
To provide a sustainable source of funding to initiatives aimed at the enhancement, protection and conservation of the environment and the sustainable management of natural resources.
Value Statements
Key to the provision of EEF’s services will be the following value prepositions:
| Integrity | The Fund commits to maintaining high standards of ethics and good conduct with zero tolerance to corruption. |
|---|---|
| Professionalism | The Fund will strive for excellence, pursue timely attainment of targeted results and meet stakeholder needs with a sense of urgency, transparency and accountability. |
| Innovation | The Fund will provide flexible, effective and adaptable services in support of programmes, projects and activities. |
| Inclusivity | The Fund will provide equal access to opportunities and resources to all people including those that might otherwise be excluded or marginalised. |
| Respect | The Fund will treat all stakeholders with courtesy, politeness and kindness. |
Whilst the work of the Fund has been good, it has not been sufficient in helping the country manage its five priority areas. In actual fact, the demand for funds to finance projects in these areas far outweighs the funds currently available at EEF, in terms of the number of grants per funding cycle and the size of the grants.
Due to the high demand for the services of the Environment Fund, caused by the increasing environmental challenges facing the country driven by the triple planetary crises: pollution, biodiversity degradation and climate change, the need for the Fund has grown exponentially and the available resources are unable to meet the demand.
The five priority areas that the Fund provides grants to include:
- Sustainable Land Management (Land Use & Land Use Change, Land Degradation, Soils, Forests).
- Climate Change: (Air Quality, Climate, Ozone Depletion, Natural Disasters, Energy).
- Sustainable Water Management: (Water Quantity and Water Quality).
- Chemical and Waste Management: (Waste Management).
- Ecosystems and Biodiversity Management (Change of Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Protection & Conservation).
To be eligible for funding the project must:
- Address one or more of the Fund priority areas.
- Contribute 80% of the project funds directly into the environmental action.
- Contribute to a positive impact on community environmental enhancement, protection and restoration.
- Enhance community livelihoods.
- Demonstrate sustainability beyond the funding period.
- Demonstrate community ownership or stakeholder involvement.
- Demonstrate participation of youth, women and people with disabilities.
- Demonstrate the capacity to leverage additional resources.
This Strategic Plan incorporates a background of challenges with climate change and increasing tasks of managing and maintaining the environment, a diagnosis of EEF, including the SWOT and PESTEL analysis, its new vision, mission and value statements, Strategic Implementation Matrices as well as Critical Success Factors.
To date, the Fund has mobilized over E10 million and disbursed over E8 million in grants to community-based projects in the following priority areas: sustainable land management; ecosystem and biodiversity management; sustainable water management; chemical and waste management; and climate action.
The Fund has been able to fund and collaborate with other organizations and Government Agencies in implementing the above projects. These entities include: government ministries like Ministry of Agriculture, department of Land Use planning and Development (MoA-LUPD); government agencies like Eswatini Water Development Enterprise; private sector companies like Cooperatives; Academic and research institutions like the University of Eswatini; Civil Society Organizations like World Vision- Eswatini
Eswatini Environment Fund in statistics
Distributed small grants of upto E300,000 to 71 Communities worth over E8 million.
Financed and managed of 71 projects:
- 31 in sustainable land management;
- 26 in ecosystem and biodiversity management;
- 6 in sustainable water management;
- 6 in chemical and waste management;
- 2 in climate action;
To achieve climate, environmental and biodiversity benefits.