MANZINI – CBE employees posing with children who are beneficiaries of an AMICAALL Soup Kitchen. The Bank and staff members donated 100 shoes, clothes and toys to 100 needy
children. This was a partnership between the Bank and CBE Employee Matching Programme (EMP), a programme where Bank employees contribute monthly towards a charity fund.

It has become a social expectation that central banks should set further objectives in addition to the maintenance of price stability. This is to demonstrate that central banks are also part of their societies. They assist in the lives of others and strengthen the community. Central banks all over the world identify and define their own areas of intervention such as supporting economic research, education, humanitarian and social work, enhancing financial knowledge and deepening financial culture (thus promoting financial stability). The Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE) is no different from other central banks as the exciting new strategy puts people at the heart of its ambitions.

The Bank has its own defined areas of social investment, as outlined in its Corporate Social Investment (CSI) Policy. These are community and health programmes, financial education in Primary schools, high schools and tertiary institutions (i.e. activities that will promote commercial, economic, entrepreneurial studies as well as economic research) As such, the Bank has an annual CSI week where management and staff visit various sites where beneficiaries of the CSI programme operate. Last week, from 23-27
September, the Bank and its employees invested in nine communities to confirm that there is indeed value for the contributions made, and physically participated in voluntary activities that contribute to social development.