BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT

INVESTMENT AND TRADE

WHERE TO START?

Eswatini is open for and means business! It is open for investment and

trade, both in goods and services. The Eswatini Investment Promotion

Authority (EIPA) is the gateway to understanding investment and trade

in the Kingdom and is ready to indulge investors in ensuring that they

comprehend the pointers to help them make good investment decisions.

The EIPA articulates investment priority sectors, incentives availed,

including special economic zones (SEZs), export and import

opportunities, among other services … be linked at

https://investeswatini.org.sz/.

SUPPORT

THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, INDUSTRY AND TRADE AND BUSINESS ESWATINI :

You are not left an ‘orphan’ after you have made a good investment

decision, but the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade and

Business Eswatini remain your companions in ensuring a good and

enabling environment. They also present investment and trade

opportunities, enhance export competitiveness, facilitate the ease of

doing business, as well as promote and defend your interests, among

other pertinent services… be linked at: https://itdswaziland.org

(International Trade Department) and at

https://business-eswatini.co.sz/ (Business Eswatini).

ESWATINI TRADE INFORMATION PORTAL (ETIP) : 

This is a one-stop shop for all trade-related information. It aims at facilitating trade and reducing the cost of trade through provision of all information on laws and regulations; licenses and permits; tariff rates (customs duties); technical standards; regulatory obligations relating to

export, import or transit of goods; means of transport; and

information relating to international, regional and bilateral trade

agreements to which Eswatini is a party, among others… explore the

link at https://www.eswatinitradeportal.com.

EXPORT MARKETS – REGIONAL, CONTINENTAL AND INTERNATIONAL BILATERAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS/AGREEMENTS PREFERENTIAL MARKET ACCESS : 

The Kingdom of Eswatini is a member of several regional and international trade arrangements that provides preferential market access to its members, in the form of reduced

customs duties (tariffs) or free of duty (duty free) on goods

originating from Member States. Further, in some of these preferential

markets, originating goods can be imported in unlimited quantities and

without paying tariffs, that is quota-free and duty-free. It is

however, important to underline that the basic condition for the goods

to qualify for preferential market access is the observance of the

rules of origin (RoO), that is, the goods are wholly produced or

sufficiently processed in the country of origin (Eswatini in this

case). The various trading arrangements constitute: “preferential

trade areas (PTAs)”; “free trade areas (FTAs)”; and “Customs

Unions (CUs)”.

_PREFERENTIAL MARKETS WHERE ESWATINI HOLDS MEMBERSHIP_W REGIONAL :

They include the Southern African Customs Union (SACU); the Southern

African Development Community (SADC) – a FTA; the Common Market for

Southern and Eastern Africa (COMESA) – a FTA; and the Tripartite

Free Trade Area (TFTA).

CONTINENTAL :

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to promote

intra-Africa trade.

INTERNATIONAL :

These include the SACU–European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – a

FTA; the SACU-Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) – a FTA; the

Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the European Union (EU)

and the United Kingdom (UK) – a FTA; the USA African Growth

Opportunity Act (AGOA) – PTA; and the Generalized System of

Preferences (GSP) – a PTA.

BILATERAL :

There are also bilateral arrangements Eswatini have concluded enabling

goods originating from Eswatini to receive trade preferences when

imported in these countries, and it includes the Economic Cooperation

Agreement (ECA) with Taiwan, among others.

MULTILATERAL :

The Kingdom of Eswatini is a member of the World Trade Organization

(WTO), therefore, benefitting from the Most Favored Nations (MFN)

principles of non-discrimination treatment principle.