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
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.
