“Eswatini is a beneficiary of the Trade Forward Southern Africa Trade Agreement (TFSA); a United Kingdom funded programme that operates across the countries of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and Mozambique. The programme enables members to boost their trade across and beyond Southern Africa, including in the UK, generating inclusive, women-centred growth”
Photo Credit: https://investeswatini.org.sz/
By Ntokozo Nkambule
The Kingdom of Eswatini can certainly do with a spate of goods news, considering the current political turmoil in the country. So it was pleasing to hear the United Kingdom (UK) Head of Trade Agreements in Southern Africa, Charlie Morris stating that they were happy with the current trade partnership between Eswatini and the UK. He disclosed this during the UK-Eswatini Trade Indaba held at the Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority (EIPA) offices in Mbabane.
Eswatini is a beneficiary of the Trade Forward Southern Africa Trade Agreement (TFSA), a UK funded programme that operates across the countries of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and Mozambique. The programme enables members to boost their trade across and beyond Southern Africa, including in the UK, generating inclusive, women-centred growth. In his address, Morris spoke about the importance of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), stating that it enables emaSwati to be able to export goods in the region and in the UK. “The EPA is a goods free trade agreement, it gives duty-free, quota-free access to traders in Eswatini exporting to the UK, which is a huge advantage for local traders, due to its preferential access nature. It is a developmentally focused agreement” he noted. Finally, Morris noted that they were happy with the current trade agreement and encourage emaSwati to utilize the opportunity brought by the agreement.
The Director for International Trade at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Sizwe Ntshangase who was one of the speakers at the Trade Indaba says they are happy with the TFSA but are worried by the fact that current trade agreements in the country, do not put into consideration Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s). “In terms of trade agreements, we have realized that the private sector, particularly, MSMEs are penetrating external markets, but they face a myriad of challenges because existing trade agreements focus mostly on public companies and big established players” he noted. Moreover, EIPA’S CEO, Sibani Mngomezulu, in concluding the Trade Indaba noted that they were happy with partnering with the UK, as this aids efforts such as unemployment, which is high in the country. He added that it was pleasing to note that this trade agreement is women-centric, which is an important thing for a patriarchal country like Eswatini.
Good Day Thembela, thanks for such an informative feedback.