Investment agency woos manufacturers

New factories grow transport sector
SET UP by government as a “one stop service” for new investors in the country, the Swaziland Investment and Promotion Authority (SIPA) assists business newcomers with work permits, tax forms, and office and factory scouting. “When potential investors come to us, we open a file and see what their needs are,” said Natie Dlamini, director of foreign direct investment. Alerting international business to Swaziland’s advantageous trade treaties with North America, European and Asian markets, SIPA is aiming its effort at luring manufacturers to the kingdom. “We find that once big factories are established, service industries like road transport companies follow,” said Dlamini. He cites as an example government’s construction of a factory shell in the new industrial park at Nhlangano, the capital of the southern Shiselweni Region. A new Asian-owned clothing maker recently moved into the premises. Soon, Safmarine opened an office nearby to service the garment maker’s transportation needs. “The set-up completely transformed that underdeveloped area,” Dlamini said. Dlamini says SIPA considers transport as a service essential to the country’s industrialisation goals. “Particularly for export manufacturers, the need to have reliable transporters in place can determine whether they locate here or in another country. Swaziland’s road system is improving by the year, and we are committed to keeping our transportation sector as good as it is today,” Dlamini said. Located in downtown Mbabane, SIPA is recommended as the first stop for any transport company seeking to set up in Swaziland.