BY THEMBA ZWANE
EZULWINI – “Tonight, I want to leave you with a clear message: Eswatini is open for business.
We are safe and stable. Our Kingdom is a haven of peace and predictability in a complex world. This stability is the foundation upon which we are building our economic future.”
These were the words of Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Manqoba Khumalo, directed to international investors who are in the country to explore investment opportunities.
This was on 3 March 2026 at the Royal Villas during the investors’ reception dinner for an MSME Investor Roadshow.
“We are accessible. If, after meeting our MSMEs, you see a broader opportunity to set up operations here, the Ministry and the Government of His Majesty will support any initiatives and call for establishment in every possible way. I urge you to visit the Business One Stop Shop to see first-hand how we are streamlining processes to make investor entry and operations as smooth as possible in the Kingdom. Your presence here directly supports the resounding call from His Majesty the King: – the “Nkwe” mandate. “Nkwe” means “moving fast” and it calls for all parties to move at lightning speed towards taking positive action,” he said.
Khumalo said they cannot afford to move slowly. They must be agile, decisive, and swift in seizing opportunities. He said the Ministry is fully committed to this mandate and were working tirelessly to limit all structural barriers to make investor operations here smooth, efficient, and profitable. He said they want you to succeed here because when you succeed, MSMEs succeed, and the Kingdom thrives.
“In the coming two days, you will visit the sites of the different MSME’s. You will see the quality. You will meet the passionate entrepreneurs behind these businesses. For now, please relax, enjoy the flavours of our Kingdom, and build the relationships that will define the next chapter of our economic story,” he said.
The minister extended gratitude to technical partners, the International Trade Centre (ITC), who work collaboratively with the ministry and have been instrumental in the MSME development space in the country. Collaboratively, they have not just provided advice; but have been a key catalyst in Eswatini achieving significant, tangible results in building capacity and connecting MSMEs to global value chains.
To their long-standing partner and friend (the European Union), he, thanked them for their steadfast support and continued investment to enriching the lives of Emaswati. The investors roadshow, he said, could not have been possible without their support.
He thanked the visiting investors for bringing curiosity, time, and capital.
“We value this partnership deeply, not just for the financial investment you will be exploring to make in the country, but for the networks, expertise, and global perspectives you bring, which is exactly what our MSMEs need to step up to the next level. Just a short while ago, as the Ministry, we hosted a pivotal MSME Conference here in Eswatini alongside key partners. The conference was a pivotal moment for MSME’s in the country. The real barriers holding our entrepreneurs back were diagnosed, and it came out glaringly that access to finance remains one of the biggest bottlenecks for the growth of MSME’s in Eswatini,” he said.
Khumalo was immensely happy to say that this roadshow proves that the conference was not just a talk-show but a stepping-stone towards the right direction in tackling bottlenecks hindering growth of the MSME sector. He said it was the direct result of that dialogue and this was the action. He noted that they were moving from diagnosis to the cure from discussing the problem to deploying the solution.
“The MSMEs you will meet in the next three days are the living testament to the work the ministry in collaboration with ITC under the EU funded programme has been doing. They are the proof of concept. These are not just small businesses trying to survive. They are export-ready, investment-ready enterprises. They are poised to take up space not just in our local economy, but in regional African markets and on the global stage as well,” he said.
He said they have strategies. They have the products. They have the market demand. What they need is the capital to execute their growth plans.
This, he said mattered because MSMEs are the engine room of the Eswatini economy. They account for over 45% of the economic activity and are the primary drivers of employment. By investing in them, they were investing in the backbone of the nation.
