YOUR MAJESTY THE INDLOVUKAZI,

YOUR MAJESTY KING ZWELITHINI of the Zulu Nation,

EMAKHOSIKATI,

YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESSES, BANTFWABENKHOSI

PRIME MINISTER,

COUNCILORS,

CHIEFS,

CHIEF JUSTICE,

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER,

CABINET MINISTERS,

EXCELLENCIES, MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS,

REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR FOR MANZINI REGION,

SPONSORS OF THE SWAZILAND INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR,

BUSINESS COMMUNITY,

VISITING EXHIBITORS

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

 

NGIYANIVUSELA NONKHE BEKUNENE LAPHA KA MAVUSO TRADE AND EXHIBITION CENTRE.

 

INTRODUCTION

IT IS A GREAT PLEASURE FOR ME ONCE AGAIN TO JOIN YOU ALL HERE AT THIS AUSPICIOUS OCCASION FOR THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR OF ESWATINI, 2014.

WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME ALL OUR VISITORS WHO HAVE COME TO THE KINGDOM TO BE PART OF THIS SIGNIFICANT DAY FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN OUR ANNUAL CALENDAR.

WE ALSO WISH TO WELCOME THE KING OF THE ZULU WHO IS HERE FOR THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION BECAUSE TRADE KNOWS NO NATIONAL BOUNDARIES.

WE ARE PARTICULARLY GRATEFUL TO KING ZWELITHINI FOR AGREEING TO HONOUR US WITH THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THIS YEAR’S TRADE FAIR. WE ARE PLEASED THAT YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GIVE US WISE WORDS ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT ISSUES.

TRADE REMAINS A CRITICAL COMPONENT FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH. THEREFORE, WE NEED TO DEVELOP THIS SECTOR to HARNESS ALL THE BENEFITS THAT COME WITH TRADE.

EXHIBITORS AT THE TRADE FAIR

WE ARE PLEASED THAT THE TRADE FAIR CONTINUES TO ATTRACT A HIGH NUMBER OF EXHIBITORS, IN THAT, EVEN THIS YEAR THE EXHIBITION SPACE HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO INCLUDE A MARQUEE.

 

THIS IS TESTIMONY THAT THE FAIR HAS BECOME AN IDEAL BUSINESS PLATFORM, NOT ONLY FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO PROMOTE THEIR PRODUCTS, BUT ALSO FOR GOVERNMENT AND OTHER ORGANISATIONS TO SHOWCASE THEIR GOODS AND SERVICES.

 

IN KEEPING WITH THE THEME “DEVELOPMENT UNUSUAL – INTEGRATING BUSINESSES INTO VISION 2022”, WE WOULD LIKE TO APPLAUD A NEW INITIATIVE BY THE ORGANISERS OF THIS YEAR’S TRADE FAIR, WHICH HAS ENABLED OUR SMALL MICRO AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMMES) TO PARTICIPATE IN BIG NUMBERS.

THESE SMMES ARE HANDCRAFTERS, COMING FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, REPRESENTING DIFFERENT REGIONS AND CHIEFDOMS, WHOSE PARTICIPATION WILL AFFORD THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTEGRATE THEIR BUSINESSES IN THE MAINSTREAM AND, BY EXTENSION, INTO OUR VISION 2022

 

IN ADDITION, THE PARTICIPATION OF OUR SMMES WILL CREATE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO BE LINKED UP, NOT ONLY WITH LARGE ENTERPRISES IN THE COUNTRY BUT, WITH OTHER FOREIGN BUSINESSES THAT ARE PARTICIPATING AT THIS YEAR’S TRADE FAIR.

WE URGE ALL OF YOU TO MAKE GOOD OF THIS OPPORTUNITY AND CONCLUDE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS DEALS THAT WILL MAKE ESWATINI BETTER, STRONGER AND MORE CREATIVE.

SIGNIFICANCE OF VALUE ADDITION TO OUR PRODUCTS

We welcome the SADC position on BENEFICIATION AND VALUE ADDITION for our products. WE NEED TO ENGAGE IN AGRO PROCESSING AND IMPROVE THE SUPPLY SIDE OF PRODUCTION THROUGH APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE. MOREOVER, WE MUST DERIVE WEALTH FROM OUR COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE AS A COUNTRY.

THERE IS also a NEED FOR INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT SO THAT OUR GOODS AND SERVICES ARE ACCESSED BY ALL WHO NEED THEM. WE HAVE A DUTY TO PRODUCE QUALITY PRODUCTS THAT WILL BE COMPETITIVE IN THE GLOBAL MARKETS.

I AM PLEASED THAT REGIONAL TRADE FAIRS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BY OUR REGIONAL ECONOMIC COMMUNITIES (RECS) AS A MEANS TO PROMOTE TRADE AND INVESTMENT ACROSS OUR BORDERS. THIS IS A HUGE CHALLENGE TO OUR SADC REGION SINCE IT REMAINS RELATIVELY LOW AS COMPARED TO OTHER REGIONS.

IN THIS REGARD, WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME THE PARTICIPATION OF FOREIGN EXHIBITORS NOT ONLY FROM THE REGION BUT ALSO FROM DISTANT COUNTRIES. WE ENCOURAGE OUR TRADERS TO RECIPROCATE BY PARTICIPATING IN THEIR RESPECTIVE TRADE FAIRS.

THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF OUR EFFORTS TOWARDS DEEPER ECONOMIC INTEGRATION IN THE REGION IS TO IMPROVE INTRA-REGIONAL TRADE BY REMOVING IMPEDIMENTS AND BOTTLENECKS THAT DISCOURAGE TRADE AMONG OURSELVES.

CONSEQUENTLY, REGIONAL INITIATIVES SUCH AS REGIONAL FAIRS AFFORD US OPPORTUNITIES TO TEST OUR MARKET ACCESS CONDITIONS AND EASE OF MOVING GOODS ACROSS OUR BORDERS.

IMPROVING INTRA-REGIONAL TRADE AMONG OUR REGIONAL ECONOMIC COMMUNITIES, WHICH ARE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA, IS IN LINE WITH THE AFRICAN UNION OBJECTIVE OF BOOSTING INTRA-AFRICAN TRADE.

DURING THE US – AFRICAN SUMMIT, HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT AGREED THAT FOR OUR CONTINENT TO REALIZE DEVELOPMENT WE NEED TO OPEN TRADE PARTNERSHIPS AMONGST OURSELVES ON THE CONTINENT.

 

TRADING PARTNERS OF THE KINGDOM OF ESWATINI

WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RE-ASSURE OUR TRADING PARTNERS THAT THE KINGDOM IS COMMITTED TO DIALOGUE AND TO PEACEFUL ENGAGEMENT ON ISSUES THAT HAVE A POTENTIAL OF DISRUPTING OUR TRADE WITH THEM.

MOREOVER, WE WOULD LIKE TO URGE ALL THOSE WHO HAVE A STAKE IN OUR TRADE AGENDA TO COME TO THE STRUCTURES THAT WE HAVE PUT IN PLACE FOR PEACEFUL DIALOGUE AMONG OURSELVES. THIS IS WHERE WE WILL FIND SOLUTIONS, AS WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE IN THE PAST.

 

ESWATINI WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE DIALOGUE AND PEACEFUL ENGAGEMENT IN THE RESOLUTION OF ALL DISPUTES, INCLUDING THOSE RELATING TO TRADE.

 

CONCLUSION

IN CONCLUSION, WE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND THE NATION’S HEARTFELT APPRECIATION TO OUR VISITORS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES AND FURTHER INVITE THEM TO OUR MHLANGA REED DANCE.

THIS IS A CULTURAL CEREMONY THAT WE HAVE CONTINUED TO PRESERVE WITH PRIDE AND HAS BEEN PASSED ON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.

THE PARTICIPATION OF OTHER COUNTRIES IN OUR FAIRS IS ESSENTIAL BECAUSE DEVELOPMENT IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT THROUGH BOTH DOMESTIC AND EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS.

WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE ALL THOSE WHO HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY AND CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS THE HOSTING OF THIS YEAR’S INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR.

TO THE SPONSORS, WE URGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH US EVEN IN THE MANY YEARS TO COME.

I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE THE PUBLIC TO UPHOLD THE RESPECT AND THE PEACE FOR WHICH THIS COUNTRY IS KNOWN, FOR THE DURATION OF THIS EVENT AND OF OTHER NATIONAL EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING AT THIS TIME.

 

I THANK YOU AND MAY GOD BLESS US ALL.