BY GCWALISILE MHLABANE
MANZINI – What started as a small steelwork business has grown into an emerging manufacturing enterprise employing eight people, with affordable financing from the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) helping to drive its transformation.
Avtex Investments, based at the Small Enterprises Development Company (SEDCO) Manzini Industrial Park, is now using advanced machinery to improve production and broaden its capabilities, following support that enabled the company to acquire high-tech laser cutting equipment.
The company’s progress was highlighted on July 28, 2026, when Republic of China (Taiwan) Deputy Ambassador (Minister) Ching-lin Tsuei visited the Avtex Investments metal fabrication workshop alongside Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade Director of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Mluleki Dlamini.
The visit showcased how targeted financial support and investment in modern technology can help local enterprises improve their operations, increase production capacity and work towards creating more employment opportunities.
Dlamini said advanced technology was increasingly important in helping local businesses improve the speed, precision and quality of their work while becoming more competitive.
“In another business that we have, which benefited under the same scheme, Avtex, we also assisted it with a laser cutting machine for most of its work,” Dlamini said.
He said the machinery would enable the company to deliver better-quality products to its customers and potentially attract new clients.
“This machine improves the quality of the products that the business will be providing to their clients, and we hope that they will get more clients with this new technology that they are using in terms of manufacturing,” he said.
Dlamini also expressed optimism that the business would continue expanding, noting that Avtex Investments had received assistance on several occasions to strengthen its production capabilities.
“This is not the only time that we have assisted this business. We did assist it in the past with machinery in terms of cutting and also other drilling machines and welding machines that they are using for their products,” he said.
For Avtex Investments Director Mkhuleko Shongwe, the journey from a small steelwork operation to a technology-driven manufacturing business has been shaped by determination, innovation and access to affordable finance.
Shongwe said he started the business in June 2022, initially focusing on steelwork before gradually introducing innovative solutions and expanding into areas such as agricultural engineering.
“When I started the business, it began with steelwork, and then I added innovation. As time went on, joining ICDF suddenly gave the business a big push,” Shongwe said.
He said the financing had transformed the scope and efficiency of the business, allowing it to invest in equipment that would have otherwise been difficult to acquire.
“When I joined ICDF, things changed a lot because I started making smart aluminium tools. Then came the larger-scale ones, the CNC plasma cutting machine, and we started seeing the benefits of it step by step,” he said.
Shongwe said affordable ICDF financing had given his business an opportunity to grow without the heavy financial burden associated with conventional bank loans.
“I think what I can say is that ICDF has changed a lot of people’s lives, including mine, because individual bank loans are a lot more expensive than ICDF funding,” he said.
Although the company is still working to grow its customer base and secure larger orders, Shongwe said he remained optimistic about its future and had ambitions to expand into a much larger facility.
“Our orders are not very big yet, but we have a dream of expanding to a much bigger space. That is my dream, and there is something in the pipeline as well,” he said.
For Shongwe, however, the company’s success is measured not only by machinery and production, but also by the livelihoods it is helping to support.
He said Avtex Investments had grown from having no employees when it started to employing eight staff members, describing the development as a significant milestone for the young enterprise.
“When the business started, there was nothing, but now we have eight staff members who are employed, which is a big improvement,” he said.
Shongwe said creating employment was one of the key reasons he remained committed to growing the business, as local enterprises could play an important role in tackling unemployment while providing people with opportunities to develop their skills.
The growth of Avtex Investments demonstrates the potential impact of affordable financing on local MSMEs, particularly when access to capital is combined with investment in modern technology.
As the company looks towards expanding its operations, its journey reflects the broader potential of Eswatini’s MSME sector to drive innovation, strengthen local manufacturing and create sustainable employment.
The partnership between government support structures, development finance institutions and entrepreneurs remains critical in ensuring that businesses such as Avtex Investments have the tools and resources needed to move from small-scale operations into more competitive and technology-driven enterprises.
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