(L-R) Shalun Green Energy Science City, Tex-Ray Industrial Co.Ltd. Founder and Chairman, Mr. Ray Lin with Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini in Taiwan.
BY: SIBUSISIWE NDZIMANDZE | JOURNALIST
TAIWAN — Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has called on Taiwanese investors to back Eswatini’s drive to add more than 1,000 megawatts of new electricity generation capacity, positioning reliable energy as a critical foundation for industrialisation, agro-processing and wider economic growth.
During a tour of energy projects in Taiwan, Dlamini said Government was actively seeking strategic investors capable of developing energy projects generating at least 100MW each as the country moves to strengthen domestic power supply.
“We are seeking strategic investors in the energy sector, with a target of developing projects capable of generating a minimum of 100 megawatts each,” the Prime Minister said.
“Our broader national objective is to exceed 1,000 megawatts of additional generation capacity in order to provide reliable baseload power for the industries we are establishing and to secure our country’s long-term energy future.”
The ambitious target could have significant implications for Eswatini’s agricultural economy, where expansion into value addition increasingly depends on reliable and affordable electricity.
Modern agriculture does not end at the farm gate.
Irrigation systems, packhouses, cold rooms, dairy processing, poultry production, feed manufacturing, milling, meat processing and other agro-industrial operations all depend on dependable energy.
Greater domestic generating capacity could therefore provide an important building block for Government’s broader push to move the economy from primary production towards manufacturing and value addition.
Taiwan technology in Eswatini’s sightsDlamini said Eswatini was particularly interested in lessons from Taiwan’s renewable-energy sector, including advanced solar generation, battery storage and technologies capable of improving the reliability of green energy.
The Prime Minister said Eswatini and Taiwan's longstanding relationship provided a platform upon which deeper investment partnerships could be built, describing the two countries as partners with a shared commitment to sustainable development.
He invited Taiwanese energy companies to visit Eswatini and assess investment opportunities, saying partnerships should ultimately contribute to sustainable development and shared prosperity.
The energy investment drive comes alongside Government's broader effort to attract Taiwanese capital into productive sectors.
During a separate dinner hosted in honour of the Prime Minister and his delegation in Taipei, Tex-Ray Industrial Co., Ltd. Founder and Chairman Ray Lin pledged to expand his investments in Eswatini and expressed interest in introducing high-technology textile manufacturing.
The engagement brought together Taiwanese business leaders representing renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, fibreglass manufacturing, banking, construction and innovation.
Drawing on his approximately 25 years of investment experience in Eswatini, Lin encouraged fellow Taiwanese investors to consider the Kingdom as an investment destination.Dlamini, in turn, invited the investors to explore opportunities through the proposed Taiwan Innovation Industrial Park at Phocweni as part of efforts to accelerate industrial development and attract foreign direct investment.
Energy could unlock agro-processingFor agriculture, the significance of the investment drive extends beyond electricity generation itself.Eswatini’s ability to expand commercial farming must increasingly be matched by capacity to store, process, package and manufacture locally produced agricultural commodities.
A stronger energy base could support investment in facilities ranging from grain milling and animal-feed manufacturing to fruit and vegetable processing, refrigeration, dairy plants and other value-adding industries.
It could also strengthen the viability of technologies such as solar-powered irrigation, renewable-energy systems on farms and battery-supported agricultural operations, particularly as producers confront increasingly unpredictable climatic conditions.
This creates a direct link between the country's energy ambitions and its agricultural transformation agenda: increasing production without expanding processing, storage and market infrastructure risks leaving farmers exposed to limited markets and post-harvest losses.
Reliable power is therefore not merely an infrastructure issue. It is increasingly a competitiveness issue for agriculture.Jobs at centre of investment pushThe Prime Minister said attracting investment was particularly important because of the need to confront unemployment and create economic opportunities for the country's youthful population.
“We have a big task ahead of us, one that His Majesty has entrusted us with, and that is to develop Eswatini,” Dlamini said.
“One of our greatest challenges is unemployment, particularly among our youth, who make up about 70 per cent of our population. This calls on us to work even harder, not only to create jobs but also to empower young people to become job creators themselves.”
The Prime Minister said an influx of Taiwanese investment could fundamentally change the country's economic trajectory.
“If all of you were to invest in Eswatini, our country would never be the same again,” he said.
For the agricultural sector, the challenge will be translating that investment drive into productive infrastructure that connects energy, farming, agro-processing, technology and markets.
If Eswatini succeeds in securing part of the targeted 1,000MW-plus additional generation capacity while attracting industries capable of consuming that power productively, the benefits could extend deep into rural economies.
The opportunity is not simply to produce more electricity but to use that energy to produce more food, process more of it locally, build competitive agricultural industries and create jobs throughout the value chain.
