Research and consulting in Eswatini
Country Overview:
The small, landlocked country ruled by Africa’s last absolute monarch has not been overlooked by IOA research and consulting services, despite the country’s geopolitical insignificance and small market. IOA analysts have examined years of research data acquired from the country and found potential to establish manufacturing and industrial agriculture for the export market. However, an undemocratic government faces sometimes-violent resistance from a repressed citizenry, and the nefarious operations of a corrupt royal government has made the country an unpredictable place to do business.
Only three hours from Johannesburg, the country enjoys access to South Africa’s market and infrastructure and is a member of several African trade blocs. Government seeks to ease the processes of doing business and is keen to attract investment.
Key opportunities in Eswatini:
- Good agricultural land has proved suitable for large-scale farming, making sugar the country’s biggest export
- Largely surrounded by South Africa and abutting Mozambique, Eswatini is a transportation link between South Africa and Maputo, enjoying market access to both
- A labour pool largely unemployed today is educatable and trainable for industrial and white-collar work
Key concerns/risks in Eswatini:
- The lack of basic freedoms under a non-democratic monarchy has resulted in serious political upheaval in recent years
- The country’s small population means manufacturing must be aimed at export
- IOA analysts have determined that opaque governance has led to wide-spread corruption
A sample IOA research report on Eswatini: