Ezulwini – The Hon. Minister of ICT, Savannah Maziya, closed the two-day Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) Conference on Thursday with remarks on innovation and the country’s technological future.
“When you look at the history of many founders behind the world’s greatest innovations, a lot of them have a story like yours. It was often a friend or two in a garage somewhere or in a small office who came up with solutions for things we did not even know we needed solutions for,” Minister Maziya said.
She added, “We are moving toward a space economy, and that is the future. You cannot have a space economy if you do not have an existence or address in orbit. Therefore, we are working together to establish a space agency and ensure that young girls and boys are able to venture into space technology, because that is the future of the next ten years.”
After the conference, attendees toured the Royal Science and Technology Park Incubator and Startup Exhibition. The incubator provides office space, meeting rooms, video conferencing facilities, Wi-Fi, furniture, projectors, and other amenities. Entrepreneurs also access advisory services, mentoring, business modelling training, and technical support for product development.
The Principal Secretary welcomed guests and said, “RSTP plays a critical role in supporting entrepreneurs and innovators through platforms such as the Business Incubator, which provides structured support that enables startups to develop, test, and scale their innovations.” He added, “The startups exhibiting their innovations today demonstrate how science, technology and innovation policies translate into practical solutions across sectors, and how entrepreneurship can drive economic growth and job creation in our country.”
Beneficiaries of the RSTP Startup Incubation Programme presented their businesses and innovations, giving attendees a chance to engage with emerging entrepreneurs.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Eswatini, CDA Weinstock joined Minister of Commerce Manqoba Khumalo, Taiwan Ambassador Jeremy H.S. Liang, Minister Maziya, Mr. Kazuya Mori, DCM of the Embassy of Japan in South Africa, other dignitaries, and over 100 emaSwati technologists and entrepreneurs to launch the workshop on Digital Entrepreneurship for Youth and MSMEs.
Eswatini is hosting the first GCTF workshop of 2026. The GCTF platform, created in 2015 by Taiwan and the United States, now includes Japan, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It organises international workshops and exchanges to address global challenges. Since 2021, GCTF has held over 26 workshops outside Taiwan, with Wednesday’s launch bringing Eswatini into the global conversation.
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