By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:King Mswati met United States investors on the sidelines of the United Nations(UN) General Assembly and some of the billionaires pledged to invest in the Kingdom and create jobs.

This comes after eSwatini managed to negotiate and secured the lowest ten percent(10%) trade tariffs deal with the current United States President Donald Trump’s administration thus positioning the Kingdom as a preferred investment destination particularly, for foreign companies seeking to establish businesses and export goods to the United States.

King Mswati addressed emaSwati living in the US, urging them to consider coming back home and develop their country, the King made this request after meeting the investors who pledged to invest and create jobs in the Kingdom.

“The investors who have shown interest to set their businesses at home would require your expertise hence I am making this call. EmaSwati back home would like to learn from your experiences, hence we are appealing to you to consider returning home to contribute to the nation’s development,” said the King when addressing emaSwati in the diaspora.

On another note, eSwatini’s Commerce, Industry and Trade Minister Mancoba Khumalo released a statement on Wednesday afternoon, assuring investors and the Nation that, by securing the 10% lowest trade tariffs deal with the United States, the Kingdom “remains a preferred investment destination amid uncertainty over the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act(AGOA) that allows African developing countries to export goods to the United States duty free.

“While the non-renewal of AGOA means a loss of preferential duty-free and quota-free access to the US market for Eswatini and all other African countries, our Nation is exceptionally well-placed to navigate this transition. Under the new trade regime, Eswatini has secured a Reciprocal External Tariff of just 10% of exports to the US. This is the lowest in the region, making Eswatini the most favorable location for US-bound exports compared to our neighbors,” said the Commerce Minister.