For the first time, Eswatini’s most investment-ready enterprises pitched directly to international impact investors, and the results exceeded expectations on both sides.
For three days in March 2026, Eswatini became a live pitch room. Five investment-ready enterprises – Luna Hair&Body, Eswatini Foods, Beef Boys, Ngwenya Glass, and Black Mamba – hosted site visits from regional and international impact investors. They opened their books, their facilities, and their ambitions to capital providers seeking exactly what Eswatini had to offer. Beyond the site visits, investors met with government officials, financial institutions, and ecosystem players – building a full picture of Eswatini’s regulatory environment, financial landscape, and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The Eswatini Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprise (MSME) Investment Roadshow, held from 3 to 5 March 2026, was the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Eswatini. Convened by the European Union and the International Trade Centre (ITC), in partnership with the Government of Eswatini, the Roadshow brought five impact investors offering funding schemes ranging from $50,000 to $3 million. They came from South Africa, Belgium, and Ghana for an immersive, curated programme of site visits, bilateral meetings, policy dialogue, and ecosystem engagement.
The event built on groundwork laid at the inaugural MSME Conference in November 2025, which explored alternative financing for small businesses. A panel discussion at that conference featured impact investor Unconventional Capital and the East Africa Venture Capital Association. They introduced Eswatini’s business community to emerging instruments: blended finance, revenue-based financing, digital credit scoring, and mobile money lending. These offerings meet small businesses where they are, rather than where traditional banks expect them to be.
The three days produced concrete results. By the end of the programme, one company had received an initial investment commitment after its site visit. Several others had started early-stage investment discussions. Multiple investors confirmed plans to return – some looking to work through local financial institutions and invest larger amounts – a sign that interest in Eswatini extends well beyond the five companies visited.
Speaking at the welcome reception, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo highlighted the deliberate focus on small businesses as central to addressing economic inequality.
‘The wealth in Eswatini is concentrated on a few, and we see MSME development as one of the key solutions to this particular problem,’ he said, welcoming impact investors as partners in closing that gap.
Principal Secretary Ambassador Melusi Masuku offered a direct message: ‘Eswatini is open for business. We are safe and stable. Our Kingdom is a haven of peace and stability in a complex world.’
The roadshow marks an inflection point: the moment Eswatini moved from describing its investment potential to demonstrating it.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.
