The latest market, economy, central-bank, policy and company stories from Eswatini, updated every 15 minutes. Last updated 19 October 2026.
| GDP growth (2025) | 4.2% | Fast growth. |
| Unemployment (2025) | 34.2% | High: many people can’t find work. |
| GDP per person (2025) | $4,108 | Average output per person: a rough measure of how wealthy a country is. |
| Current account (2024) | +1.6% of GDP | Surplus: earns more from abroad than it spends. |
| Exports (2024) | 53.8% of GDP | Very trade-dependent: sensitive to tariffs and global demand. |
Latest official annual figures from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). Context, not a forecast or financial advice.
MBABANE – ESWACAA is inviting investors to explore opportunities in agro-processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, cargo logistics, renewable energy and waste management within the proposed SEZ at King Mswati III International Airport.
MANZINI – An undercover investigation by the Times of Eswatini SUNDAY has revealed that WBHO-J&E Construction is importing concrete material into the country. This is despite the fact that precast material and articles of cement are manufactured on a large scale in Eswatini.
MBABANE – Eswatini households could face increased cost-of-living pressures as higher fuel, transport and fertiliser costs threaten to push prices higher across Sub-Saharan Africa over the next two years.
MBABANE – The end is nigh! This appears to be the growing realisation among Members of Parliament (MPs), who have openly expressed fears that they may not be re-elected when the country goes to the polls in 2028.
SIBEBE – Hold your horses! The campaign trail for the 2028 general elections has not yet officially opened, and anyone campaigning at this stage could be committing an offence.
BIG BEND – Ubombo Sugar Limited’s latest recognition further underlines the ability of Eswatini-based businesses and their people to compete successfully and excel within major multinational corporations.
MBABANE — Eswatini’s headline inflation rate stood at 2.9 per cent in September 2026, registering a marginal increase of 0.1 percentage points compared to the 2.8 per cent recorded in August 2026. This is according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the Central Statistical Office (CSO).
MBABANE – Minister for Economic Planning and Development Dr Thambo Gina says government’s partnership with the World Bank must translate into jobs, improved public services and better livelihoods for emaSwati.
NHLANGANO – Businesses and savings groups in Nhlangano have been urged to deposit their cash in banks rather than keeping it at home or on business premises, to reduce the risk of robberies during the festive season.
MBABANE – The International Monetary Fund has lowered Eswatini’s growth forecasts for 2026 and 2027, citing a global outlook increasingly exposed to geopolitical shocks and uneven technological gains worldwide.
Eswatiniis being urged to look beyond its fields and unlock the economic potential of its rivers, dams and other aquatic resources as the country seeks to strengthen food security, create employment and reduce its reliance on imported fish products.
EZULWINI – Youth empowerment must go beyond providing business loans to building a stronger local manufacturing sector capable of reducing Eswatini’s reliance on imported products, according to Youth Enterprise Revolving Fund (YERF) Chief Executive Officer Mandla Nkambule.
MBABANE – The E6.13 billion paid to foreign construction companies in 2025/26 was equivalent to about 79 per cent of the entire amount planned for capital projects in the national budget this year.
MBABANE – Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority (ESWACAA) is targeting to attract E12 billion in investment and 20 000 jobs by 2037. This comes as the authority seeks to transform King Mswati III International Airport into a regional economic hub.
MBABANE – Sub-Saharan Africa’s median inflation rate is projected to increase from 3.7 per cent in 2025 to 5.5 per cent this year. This comes as higher global fuel, fertiliser and food prices are expected to reverse some of the region’s recent gains.
MBABANE – The IMF has warned that EEC’s financial deterioration could force government support, potentially leaving taxpayers to shoulder rising costs through subsidies, transfers, guarantees or recapitalisation as losses deepen further.
MBABANE – Eswatini’s public debt position is coming under increasing pressure as the cost of servicing government borrowing rises faster than economic output, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
MBABANE – The Central Bank of Eswatini raised E1.877 billion through Government Bonds during the 2025/26 financial year, exceeding its initial E1.4 billion target by 34 per cent.
MBABANE – Eswatini supply chain professional Vusumutiwendvodza Matsebula has been named Africa’s Supply Chain Management Professional of the Year for modernising systems, promoting cooperation and mentoring emerging leaders.
MBABANE – Citizens are ready to take up economic space currently occupied by foreign-owned businesses, according to Citizens Economic Empowerment Council Chairperson and businessman Lincoln Motsa.
MBABANE – Members of Parliament are scrutinising regulations designed to give emaSwati greater ownership, participation and control of the country’s economy as implementation of the Citizen Economic Empowerment Act moves closer.
MBABANE – Foreign contractors took 55 per cent of Eswatini’s registered construction project value in 2025/26, with the CIC warning this could weaken local economic benefits.
MANZINI – Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has urged the Methodist Church to help create a generation of emaSwati who create jobs, own businesses and drive economic growth.
MBABANE – Sakha Live FM, Eswatini’s newest licensed Free-to-Air commercial radio station, has appointed veteran broadcaster and media executive Wilson B. Nkosi as Chairman of its newly constituted Board of Directors.
MBABANE – Eswatini’s economy strengthened during the first half of 2026, with real GDP growth accelerating from 6.1 per cent in the first quarter to 6.5 per cent in the second quarter.