Business Opportunities in Swaziland

Swaziland is a small country (slightly smaller than New Jersey), landlocked by South Africa on the north, west and south and Mozambique on the east. Swaziland’s population stands at approximately 1.2 million (2014 projections – Swaziland Central Statistical Office). Preliminary estimates reflect that real gross domestic product (GDP) growth expanded by 2.8 percent in 2013 compared to a revised estimate of 1.9 percent in 2012. The notable increase in 2013 benefited from improvements in the secondary and tertiary sectors. The primary sector is estimated to have remained muted in 2013, despite continuing resilience of the mining and quarry sector and improvements in the crops produced under Swazi Nation Land. The secondary sector is estimated to have accelerated by 4.2 percent in 2013 compared to 0.5 percent the previous year, while the tertiary sector is estimated to have grown by 3.2 percent in 2013 improving from 2.5 percent in 2012. Nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was E39.97 billion (around $3.807 billion) (2013 est.), driven mainly by manufacturing, agriculture and retail trade. Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa, from which it receives more than 80 percent of its imports and to which it sends 60 percent of its exports. Swaziland’s currency, the Lilangeni, is pegged to the South African Rand at par. Outside of South Africa, Swaziland’s primary export markets are the EU, US, Norway and the African countries under the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).