Located between the Republic of South Africa and Mozambique, the independent Kingdom Of Swaziland has a total population of about 1.1 million people. Its capital city is Mbabane. Considered by some to be the Switzerland of Africa, beautiful Swaziland is rich in culture and boasts one of the most developed infrastructures in Africa. The official languages are Siswati and English, which is widely used in business and commerce. Over the years, the country has managed to attract many leading multinational companies to set up operations here. This can be mainly attributed to the country’s low cost base with abundant natural and agricultural resources as well as its strategic location for exports to South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world.

Strategic Location
Swaziland is the perfect investment and trade gateway into the Southern Africa region due to its excellent geographical location. Although it has a very small domestic market, Swaziland is often seen as a quicker and cheaper way to access other South African markets. Investors will have easy access to these markets through the country’s communication links with SADC and COMESA member states. Excellent transport and telecommunications infrastructure ensures that companies can move goods easily to anywhere in the world without the obvious restrictions of operating in a landlocked country. Swaziland’s cost-effective access to major entry ports enables smooth importation of machinery, equipment and raw materials, as well as facilitates exports to market destinations abroad.

Economic Overview
Swaziland’s landlocked economy is primarily driven by the agriculture sector. The country’s key foreign exchange earners include sugar and wood pulp. The economy is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives approximately 90% of its imports and sends 60% of its exports. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union and worker remittances from South Africa make up a large part of the income earned domestically.

Trade and Investment Opportunities in Swaziland
Swaziland offers an abundance of investment opportunities in various areas and sectors. For the Malaysian investor, there are many attractive business prospects which promise good returns on investment.

For instance, many opportunities can be found in the agriculture and agro-processing sector, which is a major contributor to Swaziland’s GDP. In fact, 70% of the population depends on this sector for their livelihood. Activities include sugar cane production, citrus fruit, maize and other cereal crops, cotton, forestry, ethanol production and livestock. Sugar has historically been referred to as Swazi gold , and aptly so as Swaziland is a leading low-cost producer of sugar globally.

There are also many opportunities available in the Manufacturing, Assembly & Processing sector – mostly for exports, import substitution and value addition to a wide range of natural resources like timber, coal, sugar, textiles, fruits, vegetables and other unprocessed resources.

The ‘International Services’ sector include International Financial Services (offshore) , Back Process Outsourcing (BPO), Contact (call) centres and the country being used to host the regional headquarters of multinational companies.

Rich deposits of minerals are mined and prospected in Swaziland such as asbestos, coal, quarried stone, soapstone, kaolin, talc, silica and green chert. Most of the minerals have not been exhaustively extracted, which means there is tremendous development potential in the mining industry.

There are also many favourable factors to further develop the tourism potential here. This sector has been earmarked by the government of Swaziland as a future major contributor to the country’s economic growth. The Swaziland Tourism Authority (STA) is responsible for stimulating and expanding the tourism industry through intense marketing drives and development of tourism infrastructure.

About SIPA
The Swaziland Investment Promotion Authority (SIPA) was set up in 1998 to promote and facilitate foreign direct and local investment in Swaziland. Its other objectives are to initiate, co-ordinate and facilitate the implementation of government policies and strategies on investment; and also to provide a one-stop support centre for local and foreign investors. SIPA also advises the Government on investment policies, strategies and suitable incentives for investors. For further details:

Why Swaziland?
Based on the many investment benefits available in Swaziland, Malaysians can look forward to a tremendous potential for capital gain should they invest here. The government has put in place a range of highly competitive incentives for investors. These benefits include the opportunity to invest in a country that represents great value for money, has political stability and where one’s investment has an excellent potential for capital gain.