THE ECONOMIC PLANNING OFFICE
4th Floor Finance Building, Mbabane
Tel:(+268) 2408 7000 ,  24043766,  24043768

Head of Department

Chief Economist: Ms. Nomusa T. Dlamini

Overall objective of the office

The Economic Planning Department has the overall responsibility of coordinating the implementation of the National Development Strategy (NDS) through the roll-out of the Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme (PRSAP); integration of the social issues into the development planning process, coordination and mainstreaming of the poverty reduction programme and co-ordination of the capital programme. Furthermore, the department has the responsibility of advising on policy formulation and implementation through projects which are financed through the budget. That is done by taking the different stages of formulation, design and analysis up to project appraisal to ensure conformity withe plan and national development priorities. Adjunct to these activities the department undertakes macro-economic forecasts to guide the allocation of the budget based on resource availability and the impact on the economy.

To enhance the implementation of projects, the department mobilizes donor resources; manages technical assistance and the implementation of development programs financed by bilateral and multilateral donors. The department also monitors and evaluates the impact of development programs and projects in meeting the objectives of the country as set out in the NDS and PRSAP.
Functions
The Department undertakes its functions through the Sectoral, Poverty Monitoring and Evaluation (Cross Sectoral), Macro-Economic Division. In addition, it utilizes the semi-autonomous Micro-project Programme Unit to implement community and other development projects. The functions of the department are as follows

• Management of the long term National Development objectives, strategies and policies and their efficient operationalisation to achieve development outcomes;
• Implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme (Yingcamu);
• Preparation of a series of three-year rolling plans reflecting the national and sectoral development policies to be pursued in the medium term. The plans present an economic review of recent events, the economic outlook, the Government medium term financial framework, sectoral development policies and programs and profiles of some priority projects in the plan period;
• To Strengthen the Planning Cadre through recruitment of more personnel and building capacity on development planning and budgeting process;
• Strategic prioritization and allocation of resources to national policy objectives and priority development initiatives;
• Co-ordination and monitoring of the technical and financial implementation of all the development plans and programs in order to achieve project outcomes cost-effectively and efficiently;
• Monitor the technical and financial implementation of the capital budget through half-year and annual project progress reports and undertaking project sites visits;
• In conjunction with the other government agencies, the private sector, the donor community and other stakeholders, co-ordinate and integrate all sectoral policies to align with the overall national economic development framework;
• An effective administration, co-ordination and monitoring of grants - financial and technical assistance;
• Collaborate with the line ministries in the preparation and submission of programs and projects proposals to bid for the allocation of resources;
• Advise the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC) on the effective strategic allocation of resources among the numerous project proposals from the line ministries and other government agencies that are competing for the limited budget resources;
• Collate and analyze public expenditure data;
• Monitors and evaluates the impact of development programs and projects;
• Carries out macro-economic analysis and advise on the economic performance and related policy;
• Implementation of the millennium project; and
• Implementation of the population policy