Ezulwini, Kingdom of Eswatini, 25 November 2025 (ECA) – The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry of the Kingdom of Eswatini, conducted a hands-on training workshop on the Integrated Planning and Reporting Toolkit (IPRT). Building on the successful digitization of the National Development Plan (2023/24–2027/28) and the Government Programme of Action (2024/2025–2028/2029), the workshop focused on aligning Eswatini’s national frameworks with the priority areas and targets of the Awaza Programme of Action (APoA) for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2024–2034. The training also strengthened national monitoring, evaluation, and reporting capacities and enhanced institutional ownership by equipping planners and policy experts with the skills to use the IPRT.
Held in Ezulwini from 25 to 26 November 2025, with a virtual preparatory session on 21 November 2025, the workshop forms part of ECA’s ongoing technical support to the Government of Eswatini.
In opening remarks, Mr. Muntu Almeida, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry, commended ECA’s continued partnership in strengthening the country’s planning and reporting systems. He highlighted Eswatini’s leadership as an early adopter of the IPRT, having already aligned its National Development Plan with the SDGs and the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063, and emphasized the importance of now integrating national priorities with the Awaza Programme of Action to address structural constraints and advance national aspirations.
Mr. Francis Ikome, Chief of ECA’s Regional Integration Section, reaffirmed Eswatini’s commitment to evidence-based planning and noted that the APoA—adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2024 and endorsed at the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in 2025—provides a structured framework for addressing the persistent challenges faced by LLDCs, including reducing trade and transport costs and strengthening regional connectivity and resilience.
Participants expressed appreciation for the practical nature of the training, noting that the exercises on alignment, performance tracking, and reporting will support a more coherent, results-oriented implementation of national, regional, and global development plans.
ECA remains committed to supporting Member States in strengthening their planning, monitoring, and evaluation systems, and in advancing the implementation of priority actions that address the developmental needs of Landlocked Developing Countries.
For further information on the workshop, contact Mr. Francis Ikome at ikome@un.org
For more information on the IPRT, visit https://iprt.uneca.org/.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org