BY LINDELWA MYENI
EZULWINI – The European Union (EU) has urged Eswatini businesses, investors and institutions to make greater use of newly launched trade and investment intelligence tools to access reliable information and make better-informed decisions at Royal Villas today.
Speaking during the launch, EU Ambassador to Eswatini Karsten Mecklenburg said the tools are intended to make economic intelligence more accessible and practical to businesses and institutions, particularly those seeking markets, investment opportunities and ways to improve competitiveness.
Mecklenburg said successful participation in the global economy requires more than ambition, as exporters, investors and policymakers need reliable information to guide their decisions.
“An exporter needs to know where demand exists, what markets offer potential, what requirements must be met and how competitive a particular market may be,” he said.
He stressed that such information should not remain in specialist reports or databases that are difficult for ordinary businesses to access.
“It must reach the entrepreneur who is asking: Where can I sell my product?” he said.
The Ambassador said the digital nature of the tools provides a single-entry point to relevant trade and investment intelligence through EIPA’s digital platform, creating an opportunity for economic information to become more accessible, practical and widely used.
The Investment Attractiveness Dashboard brings together economic, trade, investment and business-environment indicators to support the assessment and promotion of Eswatini’s investment potential.
The Market Intelligence Dashboard, meanwhile, provides practical market information and connects users to selected ITC tools and resources to help businesses explore international markets, identify opportunities and better understand market requirements.
Mecklenburg said the tools were designed to help turn data into intelligence, intelligence into decisions and decisions into economic opportunities.
He said an investor needs reliable information to understand the economic environment, characteristics of different sectors and factors that could shape an investment decision, while policymakers need evidence to identify opportunities, emerging constraints and areas where interventions may be needed.
The Ambassador said the EU’s support for the initiative goes beyond financing technology, as it also seeks to strengthen capabilities within institutions, businesses and the wider economic ecosystem.
He said the EU has supported initiatives in Eswatini aimed at creating conditions for inclusive and sustainable economic development, including market-driven skills development and youth empowerment.
Mecklenburg said access to quality information would be increasingly important if Eswatini is to expand exports, attract productive investment, diversify its economy and create opportunities for its people.
He encouraged EIPA, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade, the private sector, business support organisations and development partners to take ownership of the resources and make them part of their everyday processes of identifying opportunities and making decisions.
He said the partnership between the Government of Eswatini, EIPA and the ITC, with EU support, brings together international expertise, institutional capacity and the policy environment needed for these opportunities to be realised.
Mecklenburg said the ultimate beneficiaries should be the people and businesses of Eswatini, including exporters finding new markets, investors identifying opportunities, entrepreneurs making better-informed decisions and policymakers basing interventions on stronger evidence.
He encouraged businesses and institutions across the country to make full use of the newly launched resources, saying the EU remains committed to supporting a partnership built around opportunity, shared progress and sustainable economic development.
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