International Trade Department

10/06/2025

Calling all Traders!!

Join the Virtual Workshop on the COMESA Regulations on the Elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers and Working Procedures on 11 – 12 June 2025.

Don’t miss this chance to gain valuable insights

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Regional Workshop on COMESA NTBs Regulations and Working Procedures. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

07/06/2025

Join us in celebrating Mr. Muntu Almeida, our ITD Deputy Director, as he embarks on his sixth Comrades Marathon journey this weekend! This remarkable feat showcases his unwavering discipline and incredible spirit. We're immensely proud to have such an inspiring leader within our team.

Good Luck Deputy Director!

05/06/2025

🇸🇿 Eswatini's Traders Engage in Critical EU EPA Strategy Review 🇸🇿
Day 3:The ITD in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) is continuing with consultative engagements with stakeholders, as part of the process of the review of Eswatini's EU Economic Partnership Agreement National Strategy (2019-2023).

In our consultation meeting today was:
Eswatini Standards Authority (SWASA)
Gone Rural
Boabab Batik
Far East Textile
Texray
Eswatini Dairy Board
United Plantation

Benefits for Eswatini Exporters:
● Preferential Market Access: The EPA offers preferential and duty-free access to the EU market for most Eswatini products.
● Quality-Focused Market: The EU market emphasizes quality, environmental principles, sustainability, and worker health, providing an opportunity for Eswatini businesses to enhance their product standards.

Key Areas Under Review & Support for Exporters:
● Information Access: Businesses are encouraged to utilize available resources such as the ITC tools for market access information.
● Capacity Building: There is a recognized need for enhanced capacity building and training for both government officials and exporters to navigate complex trade requirements.

The review acknowledges challenges such as limited knowledge of EPA requirements within the private sector and the low uptake of existing business support programs. Efforts are underway to improve information dissemination. Follow the International Trade Department on all social media platforms to receive information on International Trade.

For more information and access to relevant tools, please visit the ITC website and the updated Eswatini Trade Information Portal. The ITD urges all stakeholders to actively engage with these resources to facilitate enhanced market access and trade performance.

– All traders and exporters interested in ITC’s Martket Access Tools, please visit ITC’s social media platforms and their website: https://marketanalysis.intracen.org/en
– Eswatini Trade Information Portal (ETIP): https://www.eswatinitradeportal.com

04/06/2025

Day 2 of Eswatini's EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) National Strategy (2019-2023) review included a consultation with the Ministry of Finance. Representatives from the Ministry's Fiscal and Budget Departments participated in discussions assessing the strategy's past performance, implementation, and Eswatini's market leverage within the EU.

Key Findings:

Fiscal Impact: The Ministry of Finance acknowledged that phasing out import duties under the EPA and other trade agreements has impacted customs revenue. While the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Common Revenue Pool has grown, its pace hasn't matched trade levels.

EPA Provisions & Governance: Discussions covered EPA provisions on public procurement, investment, and tax governance. The M*F's tax governance role involves aligning with international standards set by bodies like the Inclusive Framework under the Global Forum.

Underutilization of EPA: A significant point was Eswatini's under or non-utilization of the EPA. This is likely due to Eswatini businesses not exporting to the EU under the agreement, whether due to inaccessibility of information on the agreement or businesses not being export-ready for the EU market.

Business Support Challenges: There's a recognized low uptake of available business support programs, including export promotion and credit guarantee schemes, by the MSME sector and other stakeholders.

Need for Further Studies: A critical need was identified for studies on the EPA's direct revenue impact and the reasons for low utilization of quotas and business support schemes. Increased M*F involvement in negotiations could improve understanding of fiscal implications and planning.

03/06/2025

🇸🇿Eswatini Embarks on Critical Review of EU-SADC EPA Strategy to Boost Economic Growth🇸🇿

This week, the International Trade Department (ITD) is holding consultations with stakeholders, including industry representatives, private sector actors, and civil society, to gather thoughts and proposals for the next phase of the plan. The European Union through the International Trade Centre under the Support to the implementation of the SADC-EU EPA, is supporting the review of the EPA Strategy, which will involve a dedicated consultant engaging stakeholders to analyse the EPA's effectiveness and recommend areas for improvement. Eswatini and six other Southern African Development Community (SADC) nations signed the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union in 2016. This agreement allows Eswatini's products to enter the EU market duty- free and quota-free, with the goal of stimulating economic growth by creating new trade opportunities for local enterprises and the private sector. To maximise these benefits, Eswatini developed an EPA Implementation Strategy (2019-2023) with assistance from the EU through the SADC Trade Related Facility, addressing issues such as restricted production capacity, product diversification, competitiveness, and access to EU market information. The EPA Implementation Strategy has completed its initial phase, and Eswatini is now assessing and modifying this crucial roadmap.

30/05/2025

As Eswatini continues to modernize its trade landscape, we want to remind our stakeholders about the Eswatini Trade Information Portal (ETIP), a key initiative that streamlines trade processes and contributes significantly to our economic growth.

Modernizing Eswatini's trade landscape is a key priority, and the launch of the Eswatini Trade Information Portal (ETIP) was a testament to this commitment. This comprehensive platform is designed to streamline trade processes, significantly benefiting the private sector and contributing to overall economic growth.
The ETIP centralizes critical information on:

- Customs procedures and tariffs.
- Licensing and permit requirements.
- Trade agreements and domestic legislation.

This digital tool is made to enhance Eswatini's competitiveness on the global stage, fostering greater efficiency and transparency for all trading activities. We invite the business community to integrate the ETIP into their operations for simplified and more effective trade.

For more information: https://www.eswatinitradeportal.com

27/05/2025

🇸🇿Welcome to the Official page of the International Trade Department (ITD) – Kingdom of Eswatini, under the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade. We’re excited to relaunch this platform to connect with local importers and exporters, trade partners, and the public and private
sector stakeholders. ITD, as Eswatini’s focal point for international trade organizations, plays a pivotal role in shaping Eswatini's trade landscape by facilitating the country’s access to regional, continental and global markets by negotiating trade agreements, promoting exports and driving
national economic growth through strategic global partnerships.

🇸🇿Vision

To be a centre of excellence in advancing Eswatini’s external trade interests across the region and globally.

🇸🇿Mission

To identify and secure external market opportunities and support their optimal use by the people of Eswatini.

🇸🇿Mandate

To coordinate all trade-related matters and is the primary focal point for the country’s external trade relations. We operate through two main divisions: Trade Policy and Trade Promotion.

🇸🇿What We Do:

* Negotiate and coordinate Eswatini’s trade relations regionally, continentally and globally
* Analyse and implement export strategies
* Identify and promote new export products and services
* Offer support services for exporters
* Provide up-to-date information on global trade opportunities

🇸🇿Why follow us?

* Stay updated on trade policies, market access opportunities
* Learn how to benefit from Eswatini's trade agreements
* Get support as an exporter or investor

07/03/2024

It happed today, Eswatini is ready to access the continental market.

04/03/2024

Yes, the day has come!

in , Eswatini Government :𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐢’𝐬 #𝐀𝐟𝐂𝐅𝐓𝐀 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 – 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟖.
The key objective of the AfCFTA national strategy is to complement a broader development framework, especially in relation to the trade policy environment of Eswatini to the AfCFTA Agreement. The national strategy facilitates the identification of regional value chains that can be exploited, maximisation of value addition benefits, identification of trade opportunities and constraints, including measures and capacities required to take full advantage of national, regional, and global markets for both goods and services within the context of AfCFTA.

Details: https://www.uneca.org/eca-events/launch-kingdom-eswatinis-afcfta-national-strategy-and-implementation-plan-2024-2028

04/03/2024

“Opportunity knocks but once”

The TIDOs are very instrumental in the provision of facilitation services and relevant trade information to traders crossing the borders as well as those seeking to form themselves into a formalized grouping. The Desks also collect trade related data, receive and contribute to resolving trader’s c...