E-READINESS QUESTIONNAIRE FOR NORTH ... - Kunnat.net

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8.3 Economy
8.4 ICT Landscape
0-14 years: 38.6% (male 260,840/female 254,781)
15-64 years: 57.9% (male 383,236/female 391,478)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 19,857/female 26,994) (2010 est.)
Other population indicators include:
� Urban population: 25% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
� Literacy (defi nition: age 15 and over can read and write of the total population:
81.6% male: 82.6% female: 80.8% (2003 est.)
� Population: African 97%, European 3%
� Religions: Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship),
Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other (includes Anglican, Bahai, Methodist,
Mormon, Jewish) 30%
In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies approximately
70% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversifi ed since the mid-1980s.
Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. In 2007, the sugar
industry increased effi ciency and diversifi cation efforts, in response to a 17% decline in
EU sugar prices. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and
quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short
border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which
it receives more than nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports.
Swaziland’s currency is pegged to the South African rand, subsuming Swaziland’s
monetary policy to South Africa. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs
Union (SACU) account for two-thirds of Swaziland’s government revenues, and
worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned
income. Customs revenues plummeted during the global economic crisis and Swaziland
has appealed to SACU for assistance. With an estimated 40% unemployment
rate, Swaziland’s need to increase the number and size of small and medium enterprises
and attract foreign direct investment is acute. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought,
and sometimes fl oods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the
population needed emergency food aid in 2006-07 because of drought, and more than
one-quarter of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS 88 .
Swaziland is one of the last countries in the world with an almost complete monopoly
in all sectors of its telecommunications market. The state-owned posts and telecommunications
operator, SPTC also acts as the industry regulator and has a stake in the
country’s sole mobile network, in partnership with South Africa’s MTN. Nevertheless,
fi xed and mobile penetration is relatively high compared with other countries in the
region. Mobile market penetration is at more than 60%. More than 90% of all telephones
in the country are mobile phones. While Internet usage is growing reasonably
fast, the level of penetration is still well below international standards, but about average
in the region 89 . The planned unbundling and eventual privatisation of the incumbent
and the introduction of more competition would enable the market to live up to
its relative GDP strength.
88 http://indexmundi.com/swaziland/economy_overview.html
89 http://www.infodev.org/en/Publication.431.html