EZULWINI – Eswatini is now officially capacitated to host any global high-level summit as His Majesty King Mswati III officially opened the iconic International Convention Centre (ICC) at Ezulwini yesterday.
The ICC is said to be capacitated to match and even surpass the standard of other convention centres in Africa, placing the kingdom in the right position to attract world leaders, policymakers and the C-suite of the continent.
The structure was built by Inyatsi Group Holdings, through construction firms Inyatsi Construction and Construction Associates. It is one of the Millenium Projects implemented by the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development.
The official opening of the facility was witnessed among others by King Letsie III of Lesotho, President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa and Foreign Minister of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Lin Chia-Lung. King of the Zulu Nation Misuzulu KaZwelithini and former presidents who included Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Ian Khama of Botswana and Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
His Majesty and his guests marvelled at the features of the facility, as Inyatsi Group Holdings Chairman Michelo Shakantu and Construction Associates Manager Prince Mcwasho took the leaders on a tour, showing them the inside of the ICC.
Shakantu explained that it is international standard and was borne of a dream by His Majesty King Mswati III – to take the country to First World Status.
“This building is on 42 000 square metres, which is 4.2 hectares of building. It is quite a massive building and we have not seen any building of this nature in Africa,” he said.
He also explained that right in the middle will be chandeliers, which are decorative, multi-bulb hanging light fixtures, to brighten the interior of the structure. He said the structure includes a world standard chamber that can carry 1 500 delegates, a multipurpose conference room as well as smaller but standard conference rooms for breakaway meetings.
The ICC is designed to host global conferences, trade shows, exhibitions and meetings, featuring flexible spaces, advanced audiovisual technology and catering services.
It will be managed by Palazzo Ezulwini Hotel and Convention Centre, a UAE based company which is set to transform the tourism and hospitality landscape of Eswatini, drawing global attention to the kingdom as a premier destination for both leisure and business travel.
Upon arrival at the ICC, His Majesty cut the ribbon and opened the plaque to mark the official opening of the facility. As the group intrigued by the glorious internal finishings of the ICC, he explained that most of the work was done by emaSwati and some material was imported from overseas. This was especially witnessed in the chamber, where the chairman explained that the carpet was imported from India, while panels were imported from Italy.
The leaders also toured adjacent conference rooms. On one end of the ICC is also a restaurant that can accommodate 300 people.
The leaders took time to sit at the tables and enjoyed each other’s company. The tour included a look at the luxurious vehicles that were on display within the hallway of the ICC.
These included a Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge, a Rolls-Royce Cillinan Black Badge and Porche sports coupes, BMW and others. Minister for Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo explained to the King that the cars belonged to dealers who saw it fit to come and display them during the occasion. He introduced Sheldon to the King, saying he had been working with the ministry to ensure that the exhibition of the high-profile cars was a success. It was said that one of the cars was worth E17 million.
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‘What will I do with the Durban ICC?’
EZULWINI – South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa was so amazed with the Main Chamber of the ICC that it reminded him of the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC).
The Durban ICC is popular for hosting huge summits, one of which is the Tourism Indaba.
“What will I do with the Durban ICC?” he asked, to the laughter of heads of State and all who were part of the tour.
According to Inyatsi Group Holdings Chairman Michelo Shakantu, the Main Chamber was built to accommodate 1 500 delegates. It has snow white seats for heads of State or governments and a wide array of seats for policymakers. It also has wide audio-visual panels and speakers embedded on the walls.
Shakantu said most of the finishing material was imported.
It also has an upper floor for the overflow of delegates.
Shakantu explained that leaders will also have shelves in their desks, in which they can store their documents for use during meetings.
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