ABU DHABI, UAE – Acting on the command of His Majesty the King and the Crown Prince of UAE Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Eswatini ministers engaged in marathon high level meetings yesterday with a number of UAE companies.
The Eswatini team was led by Commerce Industry and Trade Minister Manqoba Khumalo and comprised of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Pholile Shakantu, Home Affairs Minister Princess Lindiwe, Ministry of Defence Principal Secretary Prince Sicalo, Ambassador to the UAE Sifiso Dlamini, King’s Office Chief Officer Mbongeni Simelane and King’s Office Head of Legal Affairs Ntsika Fakudze.
His Majesty the King on Wednesday met with the Crown Prince and discussed a number of areas of cooperation and also strengthens ties between the two countries.
Commerce Industry and Trade Minister Khumalo presented to the companies a number of projects worth over E42 billion excluding those in the mining sector and gave a compelling story of Eswatini’s private sector led and government enabled economy. He explained that the opportunities lay in agriprocessing/manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, energy and ICT and Education.
Mubadala is a global sovereign investor managing a diverse portfolio of assets to generatesustainable financial returns for its shareholder, the Government of Abu Dhabi. Originally established in 2002 as the Mubadala Development Company, the modern entity was formed in 2017 following a merger with the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC).
Today, it is one of the world’s most prominent sovereign wealth funds, deploying capital at the leading edge of global growth and innovation while actively accelerating the economic diversification of the United Arab Emirates.
The Kingdom of Eswatini is currently exploring the creation of a sovereign wealth fund, having already visited Ghana, Ethiopia and Rwanda. A draft legislation has already been been submitted to cabinet before it is taken to Parliament for the next stage.
Mubadala is a wholly owned government of Abu Dhabi company with international offices in New York, London Moscow and Beijing.
It is said that by the fall of last year, it has assets totaling US Dollars 385 billion (approximately E6.5 trillion) and has investments in over 50 countries across the world.
UAE ENERGY COMPANIES TO LOOK INTO ESWATINI
ABU DHABI, UAE – A collective of UAE energy companies met with the Eswatini delegation led by Commerce Industry and Trade Minister Manqoba Khumalo to look at investment opportunities availaible in the Kingdom.
The companies were led by senior executives at Presidents and CEOs level included the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and several others.
The Kingdom of Eswatini is exploring and looking for partners in the fuel or oil sector with the country already invested over E5 billion for the strategic oil reserve in Phuzamoya in the Lubombo region which is expected to be ready by 2028.
The country is also pursuing energy generation alternatives and all these was presented as areas of possible investement and partnership.
The minister stated that the Kingdom is strategically located as a convenient investment hub in Southern Africa and can be used as a launching pad for any serious investors and boasts of access to global markets.
TURKMENISTAN COMPANY SEEKS TO INVEST OVER E220 MILLION
ABU DHABI, UAE – Following His Majesty the King’s visit to Turkmenistan early last year and his meeting with President Serdar Berdimuhamedov in New York during the United Nations General Assembly, finally a company Ayolyn Gijeler has shown interested in investing over E220 million in ICT, Transport and immigration related products.
A high level delegation of Eswatini led by Commerce Industry and Trade Minister Manqoba Khumalo and accompanied by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Pholile Shakantu and Home Affairs Minister Princess Lindiwe met the company executives.
The company is a government and private sector led business and Minister Khumalo welcomed the company’s investment interest in Eswatini, which is strategically positioned to launch their business to the continent and beyond.
The company executives who visited the country last month will be returning early June for further engagements.
CABINET TEAM MEETS ONE OF WORLDS LARGEST, MOST INFLUENTIAL SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUNDS
ABU DHABI, UAE – Among several investment companies that held talks with the Eswatini delegation, is the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
This entity, which is one of the world’s largest and most influential sovereign wealth funds, is the vehicle used to steer the financial future of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a prosperous federation of seven emirates in the Arabian Peninsula, known for its rapid modernization, global connectivity, and visionary leadership under the Al Nahyan and Al Maktoum families. It is among the top 30 richest countries in the world.
Its immense wealth originated primarily from vast oil and gas reserves, particularly in Abu Dhabi, which transformed the country from a modest pearling and trading society into one of the world’s richest nations per capita, while successfully diversifying into finance, tourism, aviation, real estate and renewable energy.
According to its profile shared with the Ezwatini delegation, ADIA continues to serve as a cornerstone of the Emirate’s long-term economic strategy, prudently managing vast surpluses to secure generational prosperity.
Established in 1976 by the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, ADIA operates as a public yet independent government investment institution. Its core mission is to sustain Abu Dhabi’s long-term prosperity by growing capital through a disciplined and globally diversified investment process. The Authority receives funds that exceed the government’s budgetary needs and invests them across international markets with the objective of delivering consistent, risk-adjusted returns through economic cycles.
Led by AIDA’s Deputy Director of the Infrastructure Department, Sultan Ali Al Dhaheri, the company’s’ investment philosophy balances rigorous long-term portfolio management with the flexibility to capitalise on short-term market opportunities. At the heart of its approach is strategic asset allocation, which the fund regards as the primary driver of long-term performance. This process begins with a Reference Portfolio composed of publicly traded securities to calibrate overall risk appetite.
The fund maintains broad diversification, spreading capital across more than two dozen asset classes and sub-categories to optimise returns at controlled risk levels. In recent years, ADIA has significantly evolved its capabilities by treating data and advanced analytics as critical resources.
The organisation has built strong internal quantitative expertise, including a dedicated Quantitative Research & Development team and the specialised “ADIA Lab,” which deploys artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance passive management, portfolio rebalancing, and decision-making.
Portfolio Allocation Strategy
ADIA’s long-term strategic portfolio is constructed around the following target ranges:
Asset Class Allocations:
- Developed Equities: 32% – 42%
- Private Equity: 12% – 17%
- Emerging Market Equities: 7% – 15%
- Government Bonds: 7% – 15%
- Financial Alternatives: 5% – 10%
- Real Estate: 5% – 10%
- Credit: 2% – 7%
- Infrastructure: 2% – 7%
- Small Cap Equities: 1% – 5%
- Cash: 0% – 5%
Geographic Focus (with no domestic investment in the UAE):
- North America: 45% – 60%
- Europe: 15% – 30%
- Emerging Markets: 10% – 20%
- Developed Asia: 5% – 10%
UAE HAS HEALTH SYSTEM DESIRED BY ESWATINI
ABU DHABI – Countries like the UAE have the patient integration and medical drug procurement systems that Eswatini has set out to establish through the Cental Medical Stores(CMS).
This emerged during a meeting of officials from the Department of Health and a delegation from Eswatini. During these talks, various areas of exchange and assistance were discussed aimed at improving the Eswatini health system.
The country is also desirous of securing high-level strategic support for a national referral hospital to provide comprehensive in-country medical services while positioning the facility as a regional hub for medical tourism, reducing the need for patients from neighbouring countries to travel beyond our borders for treatment.
The government is further seeking collaboration to establish Eswatini as a Centre for Disease Control in the region and to develop a world-class medical school that spans multiple disciplines, with the aim of attracting students from across Africa and beyond.
The two governments are expected to continue talks around these areas which could lead to bilateral agreements on agreed areas of cooperation in the near future.
