MBABANE – Eswatini could position itself as a key player in Southern Africa’s emerging automotive and green minerals industries.
This is as the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) intensifies efforts to develop a regional industrialisation strategy aimed at creating jobs, attracting investment and boosting value addition.
This emerged during the Fifth Meeting of the SACU Task Team on Automotive and Green Mineral Beneficiation at the Happy Valley Hotel yesterday.
The meeting brought together representatives from Eswatini, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Lesotho to review progress on the development of a SACU Smart Specialisation Strategy for Automotive and Associated Green Mineral Beneficiation.
The strategy is expected to guide member States in identifying areas where they can develop competitive advantages within regional and global value chains linked to electric vehicles, battery manufacturing and mineral processing.
Addressing delegates from SACU member States, Chairperson of the Task Team, Sbu Khumalo, said the region was under increasing pressure to translate discussions into practical outcomes that would support industrial development and economic growth.
“This task team must continue its work towards the development of the SACU Smart Specialisation Strategy for Automotive and Associated Green Mineral Beneficiation, as directed by the council during its meeting held in December 2024,” said Khumalo.
For Eswatini, the meeting presents an opportunity to showcase its mineral potential and attract future investment in value-added processing industries.
“We will also consider the outcomes of the meetings of the expert groups working on the battery value chain, including the proposed sub-regional cross-border battery value chain project that could be advanced within the SACU region,” he added.
Delegates were expected to receive a presentation from Eswatini on geological mapping and the current status of mineral exploration in the country, particularly as it relates to mineral beneficiation opportunities.
The task team also considered progress on the development of a regional battery value chain, including proposals for a cross-border battery manufacturing project that could be implemented within the SACU region.
The initiative comes at a time when global demand for critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries continues to rise, creating new opportunities for African countries to move beyond exporting raw materials and participate in higher-value manufacturing activities.
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