Africa-Press – Eswatini. Eswatini is positioning its mining sector as a powerful engine for economic transformation, investor confidence and long-term growth, Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg revealed during an interview on the sidelines of the Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa.
During the engagement, the Minister met senior institutional investors to discuss Eswatini’s macroeconomic outlook, sovereign credit position and capital markets strategy, with the aim of building transparent, long-term relationships with the global investment community rather than seeking immediate funding.
Speaking about continental cooperation, Rijkenberg said discussions among African leaders are increasingly focused on collaboration and industrialisation. “We are finding that the discussions are definitely heading towards how we can work better together,” he said. “Right now raw materials are leaving and finished products are entering, and there is a lot more we need to do as a continent to close that gap.”
The Minister highlighted that Eswatini already has a solid mining base, with anthracite, iron ore and gold currently being mined, while a diamond mine has recently opened. “We have a very nice deposit of anthracite in Eswatini which is already quite developed,” he said. “We also have iron ore, gold and a diamond mine that is just opening. We have now found more tin, more critical minerals and more gold than we realised was there.”
Building investor confidence has been a major national priority, with the country making strong progress toward fiscal sustainability. “We have come from a 7.5 percent fiscal deficit to about 2 percent,” Rijkenberg said. “Any investor wants to know whether they will continue to access foreign exchange and whether a country is on a sustainable path. We have worked very hard to achieve that.”
He added that Eswatini’s stability and ease of doing business continue to strengthen the country’s attractiveness to investors. “We believe we are a great country to invest in. We have stability and we are a friendly and easy nation to do business in,” he said.
A major technological breakthrough has further boosted the mining sector. Eswatini recently completed nationwide geoscience mapping using advanced airborne technology to identify mineral deposits across the entire country. “We geo-mapped the whole country using modern technology and the results revealed fascinating opportunities we didn’t even know were there,” the Minister explained. “This has led to more prospecting licences being issued and increased interest from companies.”
Government policy focuses on creating a strong enabling environment while allowing mining companies to operate independently. “We have one of the best road networks on the continent and electrification reaching about 89 percent of homesteads,” he said. “Our role is to ensure the enabling environment is strong so investors can get on with their business.”
Looking ahead, the Minister expressed confidence in the country’s future. “In the next five years, partners and investors should expect a growing economy from a thriving mining sector,” he said.
With new discoveries, strengthened fiscal stability, advanced technology and expanding partnerships, Eswatini is positioning its mining industry as a cornerstone of national growth and long-term prosperity.
