BY SIBUSISEKILE NDLANGAMANDLA
MANZINI – The Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority (EIPA) has set its sights on facilitating more than E30 billion worth of investment by 2030, with a strong emphasis on ensuring that the billions attracted into the country ultimately translate into thriving businesses, increased exports and sustainable jobs for emaSwati.
For EIPA Board Chairperson Muzi Siyaya, attracting investors is only part of the job. The real measure of success, he said, will be seen when investment commitments turn into factories, expanding enterprises, export opportunities and jobs that improve the livelihoods of ordinary people.
Siyaya made the remarks during the official opening of the 50th edition of the Eswatini International Trade Fair (EITF) at the Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre in Manzini on Friday.
He said EIPA’s ambitious E30 billion target should not simply be viewed as a figure on paper, but as part of a broader effort to generate tangible economic benefits for the country.
“Our responsibility at EIPA is to build on these opportunities and convert them into actual investments, enterprise growth, exports, and ultimately sustainable jobs and prosperity for emaSwati,” Siyaya said.
His remarks place job creation and business development at the centre of EIPA’s investment promotion strategy, particularly at a time when growing local enterprises and creating sustainable economic opportunities remain important national priorities.
Siyaya said the authority wanted to be judged not merely by the number of potential investors it engaged, but by investments that actually materialised and businesses that were successfully established or expanded.
He added that EIPA continued to work closely with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade to ensure that its investment priorities were aligned with government’s broader economic development objectives.
The EITF, he said, remained an important platform through which Eswatini could connect its businesses and producers with regional and international markets.
Despite geopolitical uncertainty and volatility affecting global trade, Siyaya noted that Eswatini’s export sector had demonstrated resilience, with the value of exports reaching E45 billion in 2025.
The challenge now, he said, was to build on that performance by opening additional markets and helping more local companies develop the capacity to compete internationally.
This year’s historic 50th edition of the EITF has also strengthened its international footprint.
Among the international exhibitors are delegations from Botswana coordinated by the Botswana Investment and Trade Corporation, as well as exhibitors from Zimbabwe coordinated by ZimTrade.
Through its international pavilion, EIPA is creating space for local traders and small and medium enterprises to interact directly with potential buyers, investors and business partners.
For Siyaya, however, exchanging business cards and contacts during the fair is not enough.
EIPA wants the conversations taking place inside the exhibition halls to continue beyond the trade fair and eventually develop into commercial agreements, partnerships and actual business transactions.
The authority is also using the trade fair to bring some of its investor-support services closer to businesses through the Business One-Stop Shop (BOS).
The BOS was established to simplify the process of starting and operating businesses in Eswatini by coordinating important services required by investors.
These include company registration, trading licences, work permits and visas.
During the trade fair, the Business One-Stop Shop is operating on site while also facilitating business-to-business and buyer-seller engagements between international exhibitors and local companies.
The initiative is intended to reduce some of the barriers investors may encounter when establishing businesses while simultaneously creating stronger connections between Eswatini companies and international markets.
With the E30 billion target now firmly on the horizon, EIPA’s message is clear: investment promotion must eventually be felt beyond conference rooms and exhibition stands.
For the authority, success will ultimately be reflected in businesses opening their doors, existing enterprises expanding, Eswatini-made products reaching more markets and more emaSwati finding sustainable employment.
