Eswatini has emerged as a standout performer at the 2024/25 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Quality Awards, with several of its institutions and enterprises receiving top honours at a ceremony held in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
The awards highlighted the nation’s growing industrial might and its rising influence across the Southern African region.
Eswatini Meat Industries was crowned Company of the Year (Large Enterprise), while the National Disaster Management Agency earned the same title in the SME category.
Swazi Tiles Investments took home Product of the Year (SME) for its Double-Roman Concrete Roof Tile, a symbol of the country’s innovative manufacturing capabilities.
Other recognitions included Cerba Lancet, which was named runner-up for Service of the Year, and RFG Eswatini, runner-up for Exporter of the Year.
A Certificate of Recognition for SME Excellence was also awarded to Rannah Investments.
In addition, Embiveni was among the celebrated winners, further underscoring the private sector’s breadth of achievement.
Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Manqoba Khumalo, praised the accomplishments, noting that they signal a transformative moment for Eswatini on the regional stage.
“These awards are not just trophies—they are signals that Eswatini is stepping confidently into its role as a quality-driven, industrially ambitious member of the SADC region.
Our businesses are now regional benchmarks,” Khumalo stated.
He emphasised the importance of not only celebrating such accolades but also using them as a springboard to accelerate regional integration and industrial innovation.
“We must not only showcase excellence but also shape the industrial future of Southern Africa.
Through platforms like SADC Industrialisation Week, Eswatini is actively forging investor partnerships, accessing new value chains, and preparing to thrive in the energy transition and agro-industrial transformation,” he added.
Khumalo highlighted the nation’s dual investment in digital transformation and physical infrastructure, asserting that Eswatini’s youth-driven innovation—whether through coding bootcamps or modernised factory floors—is creating sustainable engines of economic growth.
The awards reinforce Eswatini’s commitment to becoming a key player in the regional industrialisation agenda, setting a strong example for other emerging economies in the SADC region.
About The Author
