Expo 2020 Dubai
12th October, 2021
Your Highness, Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentleman,
May I extend warmest greetings from His Majesty King Mswati III, Her Majesty the Queen Mother and the people of the beautiful Kingdom of Eswatini. The Kingdom is honoured and excited to participate in this prestigious Expo that has brought the world together to showcase our diversity with over 190 other countries.
In line with the Expo’s theme, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,’ the Kingdom of Eswatini will use this vibrant economic global platform to forge innovative, lucrative and sustainable partnerships with competitive markets for the benefit of our people and by extension, the global economy.
Eswatini aligns herself with the sub-theme of ‘Mobility’, which envisages the building of partnerships and the paving of new exploits. Our ‘Mobility’ Pavilion showcases the developmental milestones that we have reached since achieving our independence as a British Protectorate on 6 September 1968.
Our pavilion symbolises our aspirations to explore new frontiers that foster economic growth through our world-class infrastructure, state-of-the-art ICT facilities, a business-friendly environment, thriving agribusiness pursuits, remarkable tourism products and a vibrant culture. We continue to pursue our development within a firm foundation of our cultural identity and rich heritage that have remained authentic even with strong global influences of modernisation.
In the spirit of celebrating our unique culture, collaboration and innovation which guide our journey towards achieving First World Status, allow me to profile the country’s sectors, recognise how our collective efforts have yielded the developments that we have achieved and forecast a fruitful relationship with the international business community.
Tourism
Despite being the smallest landlocked country in the Southern hemisphere, Eswatini more than makes up for its lack of size with a hugely diverse range of attractions and activities.
Our culture and heritage is deeply engrained in all aspects of Swati lives, ensuring an unforgettable experience for all who visit. More than just a very rich culture, the overwhelming friendliness of emaSwati makes all visitors feel truly welcome and very safe. The Kingdom boasts of a stunning scenery of mountains and valleys, forests and plains; plus wildlife reserves across the country that are home to The Big Five and a fascinating mix of modern and traditional festivals, ceremonies and events. Any visitor will experience the best of Africa in one country.
With the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, ours has been to go back to the drawing board and think creatively around ways of keeping the tourism sector alive, while exercising and encouraging the highest level of caution so as to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
This process has been guided by the spirit of inclusivity which has prompted the countless engagements that we have had with key stakeholders in Government and in the private sector. Government continues to spearhead efforts to fulfil our 2020–2025 Tourism Strategic Plan to position Eswatini as a globally-recognised destination of choice and to sustainably develop and promote the tourism industry to be one of the leading contributors to the GDP and wealth creation for all in Eswatini.
The global health crisis prompted by the outbreak of the Coronavirus reduced the number of international tourist arrivals to the African continent by 74.6% in 2020, and we have certainly felt the wrath of this setback in Eswatini. However, we are neither defeated nor discouraged as we continue to magnify the sector’s resilience and its ability to provide means of economic recovery and restoration for all.
It is this very resilience that has prompted the vast and enticing developments that we have witnessed in the tourism industry over the last year and a half. The devastating impact of the pandemic did not hinder the emergence of new, creative products and services in the country’s tourism establishments. From this increase in tourism products, we anticipate an increase in the number of days that international visitors will stay in Eswatini and book into local facilities for a longer stay.
It is, in fact, encouraging to see emaSwati responding swiftly and positively to the COVID-19 vaccination programme as we are fast approaching the 20% mark in the number of vaccinated people in Eswatini. This, coupled with the Safe Travels Stamp that was awarded to the country by the World Travel & Tourism Council for its well- implemented Health & Safety protocols, has given travelers the confidence to travel to and around the country as safely as possible. All of this affirms that indeed Eswatini is open for business and we stand ready to welcome tourists from all corners of life.
Infrastructure
Eswatini also boasts of some of the best infrastructure in Africa. From our transportation to water, electricity and telecommunications systems, we pride ourselves in having made significant strides as a country in terms of infrastructure development over the past years. Our airport, the King Mswati III International Airport, launched in September 2014, is strategically positioned to accept the world with good connectivity through a good road network.
The airport enjoys a prime location with its direct vicinity to Eswatini parks and Game Reserves which include the Hlane National Game Park which offers an incredible safari and Big 5 experience. The airport has the capacity to accommodate large aircraft and long-haul flight operations that connect the Kingdom directly to the world. The terminal building is designed to handle 360 000 passengers per annum.
It is one of several projects operating in one of the Kingdom’s two Special Economic Zones (SEZs), which our Government has earmarked for industrial development and to promote foreign and local Investment. The SEZs afford unique, lucrative tax incentives for enterprises that set shop on them.
Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan
We are delighted to announce yet another milestone in our infrastructural projects, and this being the launch of scheduled air services by our national airline, Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation (RENAC) before the end of this year. This is in line with the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini’s Post COVID-19 Recovery Plan.
Through the services to be offered by RENAC, access to our country will be enhanced to facilitate movements of people and cargo. The scheduled airline will offer direct flights from the King Mswati III International Airport to other cities in Southern Africa.
As a Nation, we believe that the airline will not only boost our economy, but it will give birth to new collaborations across the globe. We look forward to fruitful partnerships with all industry stakeholders as we resuscitate our tourism sector and our economy.
Science Technology & Innovation
On another note, the Kingdom of Eswatini has established itself as a technology and innovation hub through the establishment of the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP), which is on our second Special Economic Zone. Half of the land on this 160 hectare SEZ is fully serviced with roads, power, water and internet connectivity and is available to industries that want to locate within the park.
To ensure that the RSTP can adequately provide support to all investors within the Park, the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini has invested in a world class tier 3 national data centre that can provide highly efficient data storage. This is one way of ensuring that individuals and organisations looking to invest in any of the country’s sectors, and the Park in particular, are relieved of the burden of putting up a data centre. Instead, this allows them to concentrate on their core business while the RSTP handles all ICT related needs.
Additionally, the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini recognises Science Technology and Innovation (STI) as the key driver to attaining socio-economic development and global competitiveness. We firmly believe that inclusive development is imperative in ensuring that no one is left behind. Over the years, global studies have shown that women and girls’ participation in Science and Technology is significantly low and that less women pursue their postgraduate studies in this field.
The national Research & Development (R&D) surveys of 2017 revealed that Eswatini is not spared from this regional and global challenge. Hence, the Kingdom of Eswatini is working towards strengthening the National System of Innovation through robust collaborations and empowerment- centric initiatives. Government is intentional about strengthening policy regimes on women in Science Technology and Innovation and gender inclusion.
Agriculture Promotion
The Kingdom of Eswatini is blessed with arable land across different regions. As a result, the agriculture economy is an important player in the basket of opportunities available to attain sustained economic development. Its direct contribution to the Gross Domestic Product averages 9%, with products such as sugar cane, livestock, pineapples, citrus and forestry, among others, as well as emerging value chains in vegetables, banana and goats.
The climatic condition of the Kingdom of Eswatini generally variates between 6 to 30 degree Celsius where the winter season is dry and colder, The climate range in different regions allows for growing of some crops throughout the year, especially under irrigated areas in the lowveld.
Conclusion
As I conclude may I reiterate that the Kingdom of Eswatini has positioned herself as an export-driven private sector-led economy in line with our economic turnaround efforts enshrined in the Strategic Roadmap 2019-2022 and the Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan. We avail a vast array of investment opportunities for investors across the world. Our investment climate remains unparalleled and hence we have become home to some of the world’s multinational corporations and financial institutions. These include the likes of Coca Cola and most recently Kellogg’s Tolaram. We therefore assure all investors that ‘Eswatini is Open for Business’.
Thank you.
