By Phiwa Sikhondze
The Eswatini International Trade Fair (EITF) attracted about 50,000 visitors between 30 August and 8 September 2024.
The 10-day business event featured roughly 250 exhibitors and took place at the Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre in Manzini. Siphesihle Nkhabindze, the EITF spokesperson, expressed gratitude to sponsors, partners, exhibitors, and visitors for their contributions to the fair’s success.
“The combined contribution of many stakeholders makes the event what it is. The Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority (EIPA) as the official organizer of the event, is well positioned to arrange an event of this magnitude due to the mandate of the organization which is to attract, promote, encourage, and facilitate local and foreign direct investment, and trade in Eswatini for Economic Development. We remain committed to creating a platform for businesses to showcase their goods and services through an event like the Trade Fair,” Nkhabindze said.
The 56th year of the EITF saw the launch of the tagline CONNECT | CREATE | GROW. This tagline set the scene for the many opportunities for business networking and development that Eswatini’s Biggest Trade Show, the EITF offers.
This tagline will remain over several years until a decision is made to refresh it. The theme for 2024 was “Accelerating business growth through digital transformation”.
This theme brought focus to the importance of integrating technology into business operations to create efficiencies for growth. The theme for 2025 will be announced in due course.
Nkhabindze encouraged stakeholders to save the dates for EITF 2025, scheduled from 29 August to 7 September 2025 and invited potential exhibitors to prepare for the upcoming application process.
“We encourage potential exhibitors to look out for communication on the application process and we also invite those who could not exhibit this year to come forward and book a stand when applications open early next year,” he said.
The Eswatini International Trade Fair brought positive economic activity to Eswatini leading up to and during the 10-day event. It created opportunities for over 150 contractors, while also bringing informal traders the chance to come in and sell their wares.
This year, the EITF was able to garner over E950,000 in sponsorships and partnerships.
This excludes the E2 million sponsorship from 8Bet to the PLE for the Trade Fair Cup which will increase by E500 000 for the next two years. The media partnerships enjoyed by the EITF also contributed greatly to the success of the event, allowing live updates from the event to be broadcast daily.