The Minister of Information, Communications and Technology, Savannah Maziya, has signed a new agreement with the Republic of China (Taiwan) to expand Eswatini’s Mobile Government Initiative, marking another significant step in the country’s digital transformation journey.
The agreement, signed on the sidelines of the 2026 Smart City Summit and Expo held in Taipei and Kaohsiung, will see the extension of the 5G Government Network Smart City Project to Manzini and Matsapha, following the successful pilot implementation in Mbabane.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Minister Maziya and the Chairperson of the International Integrated Systems Inc. (IISI), Wu Li -Siou, with the project fully funded by the Government of Taiwan.
Under this expansion phase, Manzini and Matsapha will benefit from smart city solutions including: 5G-enabled connectivity, AI-capable smart surveillance cameras, and free public Wi-Fi access
The smart cameras are designed to be scalable and adaptable, enabling the integration of additional features based on evolving city needs. These systems will play a key role in improving traffic management, responding to road incidents, and strengthening crime prevention and public safety.
The Minister expressed her excitement at the continued rollout of the initiative.
“We are encouraged by the success of the Mbabane pilot, and it is fulfilling to now extend this project to Manzini and Matsapha, as we had committed. This is part of our broader effort to digitize and modernize our country using technology that improves everyday life for emaSwati,” she said.
Maziya further noted that the project forms part of the Government in Your Hand programme, which seeks to bring services closer to citizens while building a digitally enabled society:
“Step by step, we are building a modern Eswatini. These are practical investments that move us forward, creating safer cities, improving service delivery, and opening up opportunities for our people to connect, work and grow.”
The 5G Government Network Smart City Project was initially launched in April 2025 in Mbabane, where it introduced a range of smart technologies including: smart surveillance cameras installed across the city, a centralized traffic management and control centre, free public Wi-Fi zones and Environmental monitoring tools such as weather sensors
The success of this pilot has laid the foundation for scaling the initiative to other parts of the country, with Manzini and Matsapha now forming the next phase of implementation. The Ministry has indicated that the programme will gradually be extended to other regions of Eswatini.