Eswatini Could Become Regional ICT Hub – Minister

Savannah Maziya says Eswatini has the potential to position itself as a regional ICT hub by leveraging its strategic location between South Africa and Mozambique.

Speaking during the Business Eswatini (BE) Ministry of ICT indaba held at the BE War Room in Emafini, Maziya called for urgent and bold digital transformation to unlock economic opportunities within the 100 million population market surrounding the country.

The meeting, attended by business leaders, regulators, operators and other stakeholders, was held under the theme “Leveraging ICT to Spur Private Sector Economic Growth and Competitiveness.”

Maziya highlighted that the world’s top 10 companies by market capitalisation, valued within the US$100 trillion range, are technology-driven firms heavily invested in artificial intelligence (AI).

She stressed that Eswatini must act decisively to modernise its digital infrastructure and services.

“This is not a limitation, but a wake-up call because the future is not coming, it is already here,” she said.

The minister noted that while neighbouring Mozambique has a population of about 35 million and South Africa 65 million, Eswatini has yet to fully capitalise on its land-linked advantage to serve the broader regional market.

“We are right there in the nucleus of over 100 million people and we seem not to be able to figure out how to bring value and become the ICT hub in Southern Africa,” she said.

ALSO READ | Minister urges digital content monetisation

Maziya urged stronger collaboration between government and the private sector, emphasising that decisions made today on governance, culture, land and infrastructure would shape the country’s future competitiveness.

She cautioned against what she termed a culture of indecision, warning that delays in decision-making could come at a cost.

“The time to make decisions was yesterday, but we are here now,” she said, encouraging stakeholders to work together to grow ICT’s contribution to GDP and business expansion.