By EPN Reporter
MBABANE – Eswatini Investment Promotions Authority (EIPA) wants no time wasted for investors to get work permits in order to produce goods and services within the country.
EIPA is of the view that currently, investors are inconvenienced by the work permits, which take a long time to be issued for investors. According to the investment authority, that problem has to be addressed speedily so that investors can get to work as soon as possible.
The organisation is of the view that a separate and/or independent entity or regime, which will be responsible for fast tracking the issuance of work permits for investors, including the abnormal delays. This is currently one of the challenges faced by EIPA, as it works to ensure that Eswatini becomes an investment destination of choice.
EIPA is also interested in being involved in economic diplomacy matters of the country, including when appointing commercial and trade attaches of foreign embassies. Another issue that EIPA wants to be addressed is the lack of space for investors to be accommodated.
The lack of national investment policy is another matter that concerns EIPA. Another challenge is the dependency on Government for subvention. According to EIPA, other investment promotions agencies or authorities from other countries have their own ways of generating income.
The orgnisation is also of the view that the Eswatini Investment Promotions Authority Act of 1998 is outdated. It calls for the review of this Act, so that the Act can come up with a clear investment policy that will help investors work well in the country. The organisation also wants full ownership of factory shells and it believes that can be done through a Parliament Resolution.
Upon the transfer of the factory shells to EIPA, the organisation promises that it will work on coming up with a decentralised strategic programme, following preferred model for building more factory shells. EIPA also wants to give effect to operationalising the One Stop Shop Service facility to investors. EIPA also calls for a separate regime that will qualify investors for residence and work permits.
