Investor's Guide To Eswatini

Average Inflation, Consumer 6.17 Prices (2010-2014, annual %)⁹ Total Reserves in Months of 3.9 Imports (2016)⁹ Source: 1 Central Statistics Office. 2African Development Bank Data Portal. 3CIA World Factbook. 4Time and Date Portal. 5Chartsbin Portal, "Worldwide Driving Orientation by Country". 6Wikipedia, "List of Internet top-level domains"; and, Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, Root Zone Database. International Electrotechnical Commission, World Plugs. 8Central Bank of Swaziland. World Bank, World Development Indicators 2018. 11Economist Intelligence Unit. 15 African Development Bank, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Centre, and United Nations Development Programme, African Economic Outlook, 2016. Strategically situated between South Africa and Mozambique, the Kingdom of Eswatini offers a safe and peaceful atmosphere for business. The Kingdom boasts of natural advantages including exquisite landscape, rich natural resources, and relatively well-developed infrastructure in Africa. Its natural beauty and preserved culture coupled with a contemporary lifestyle make living and working in the country an enjoyable experience. Eswatini offers a competitive cost base for value-added manufacturing coupled with an educated and trainable workforce. Trade among the Southern African Development Community (SADC), of which Eswatini is a member, allows 85% of goods duty-free to trade between member- states. Other benefits in the SADC free trade area include the reduction and elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, easy cross-border trade, increased market opportunities, the creation of a value chain across the region, the lowering of input costs, and the creation regional competition to reduce consumer price index. Its strategic linkage to leading regional and international markets including SACU, COMESA, SADC, AGOA, EPA, SACU Mercosur, EFTA, and the CFTA makes Eswatini the investors' preference for export-oriented manufacturing. The strong trade relations between Eswatini and South Africa are enhanced by the Common Monetary Area (CMA), which pegs the Swazi Lilangeni one-to-one with the South African Rand. Pietersburg ANNESBURG Soweto PRETORIA Witbank Boksburg Evon Vereeniging chefstroom Newcastle MAPUT ABANE SWAZILAND UNTAIN Onne Zulu Empire termaritzburg DURBAN A Country Undergoes Rebranding - from "Swaziland" to " Eswatini" Further to the pronouncements by His Majesty King Mswati III during the 50th-anniversary celebrations for the country, from then onwards, "Swaziland" will be officially known as "Eswatini". The name bodes well with the origin of the people of the Kingdom of Eswatini and it also identifies with their cultural heritage and history including the language, which is SiSwati. Eswatini has made significant strides in preserving its cultural heritage over the years which are being passed from one generation to another. The culture is entrenched on a series of cultural ceremonies that take place every year, including the Incwala and Umhlanga ceremonies. Most tourists and international persons from outside the continent can mix-up Swaziland with Switzerland or at least fondly refer to Swaziland as the Switzerland for Africa. With this royal pronunciation, that mix-up will be history. An official Gazette was released by the government to revert to Eswatini, which was the original name of the country. Interestingly, people, especially those who have not had the privilege of hearing about Eswatini, often ask and assume that Eswatini is a new country in Africa. But this is not the case. The government and its entities, and the local private sector, are gearing up to rebrand themselves in accordance with the royal pronouncement. Geographical Location and Characteristics Eswatini is situated in Southeastern Africa. The western half is mountainous, descending into a 'Lowveld' region in the east. The eastern border with Mozambique and South Africa is dominated by the escarpment of the Lubombo Mountains. Although Swaziland has a land area of 17,364 square kilometres, roughly the size of Wales or New Jersey, it contains four separate geographical regions. These run from north to south and are determined by altitude. The country features magnificent mountain scenery with unique ancient rock formations which are a source of interest for geologists, scholars and visitors. The Kingdom has four topographical and climatic areas each with its own unique characteristics. The mountainous Highveld to the west is generally a high rainfall area, and predominantly rain-fed subsistence agriculture and agroforestry occur. The subtropical Middleveld is where a substantial amount of agricultural activities occur. Further to the east is the Lowveld, which is the largest region covering about 40% of the country and is also subtropical. Sugar cane is successfully and commercially widely grown under irrigation in this area. Livestock-farming is also extensively carried out in this region. Much of the Lowveld typically constitutes a wonderful profusion of indigenous wild animals. Birds, trees and flora also thrive and are found in protected nature reserves. The smallest region is the Lubombo, which borders with Mozambique to the east. This subtropical area is characterised by the mountainous scenery and supports abundant plant and animal life. Mixed farming is the main activity in this area. 10 Investor's Guide To Eswatini Investor's Guide To Eswatini 11

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