THE SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE AT THE ROYAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY PARK One-Stop Shop Service Center

Author: Dudu Sihlongonyane

The Royal Science & Technology Park, as a designated Special Economic Zone (SEZ) developer in the Kingdom of Eswatini, is responsible for providing services to prospective investors. This is to ensure the ease of situating in the Special Economic Zone on either of the sites that fall under the Royal Science and Technology Park, namely Nokwane and Phocweni. The One-Stop Shop Service Center (OSSSC) and its offerings are one of the fundamental services that should be provided in the SEZ as an incentive to prospective investors.

Within the OSSSC, all prerequisite documentation that relates to the start of a business in the Kingdom of Eswatini for the purpose of the Special Economic Zone is offered under the same roof. A One-Stop-Shop Service Centre is a single administrative point for investors to request and receive all necessary authorisation for the establishment and operation of their investment facility located at RSTP’s Special Economic Zone. The infrastructure, which is near completion at Nokwane, is a direct response to the government’s Strategic Road Map 2019-2022 Priority 1, which is to improve the ease of doing business in the Kingdom of Eswatini.? ?

On completion, the One Stop Shop Service Centre will house relevant government departments and licencing authorities responsible for the issuance of company registrations, trading licenses, work permits, labour documents, environmental and health inspections and certificates, and visas, as well as banking services, revenue authority services, and import and export services, to name a few.?

In locating these entities in one convenient location close to the investors’ investment, it inevitably removes bottlenecks faced by investors in establishing and running businesses in a new country. This reduces the anxiety often faced by new shareholders entering a new country or unfamiliar territories. One of the key issues faced by investors is locating the relevant offices and licencing authorities, which are often located in different parts of the country. Therefore, housing all these entities at the One-Stop Shop Service Centre to expedite procedures for investors will shorten normal government operations, which will ensure the ease of doing business for the investors located at the Zone.?

The One-Stop Shop Service Centre provides multi-functional space to house the entities as well as an auditorium, boardrooms, and meeting rooms that the stakeholders housed in the One-Stop Shop Service Centre as well as investors may use to interact with clients and potential investors.

Services provided to investors through the One-Stop Shop include:

• ????????Company and Business Registration
• ????????Trade and Business Licence Applications
• ????????Entry visas
• ????????Work Permit Exemptions
• ????????Connection of utilities e.g., power, telecommunications and water
• ????????Income Tax and VAT registration
• ????????Banking Services
• ????????Provide specialist business advisory services.
• ????????After care services

?RSTP’s commitment to service excellence is also reflected in the additional services offered to investors located at the SEZ within RSTP. The SEZ at RSTP has a fully developed basic infrastructure which includes electricity, water channels, and sewage as well as access to the internet. The basic infrastructure is maintained by RSTP and is included in the service fees.

In addition, by being a part of RSTP’s ecosystem, the investor will have access to the cloud computing services offered by the National Data Centre, call centre services provided by the National Contact Centre, training facilities at the Advanced School of Information Technology, business incubator services, and research facilities.

As per the vision of the Head of State, RSTP will continue to use science, technology and innovative means to find innovative ways to ensure that investors focus on their core business. RSTP will continue to aim to improve the ease of doing business in the Kingdom of Eswatini.

To get more information on the One Stop Shop Service Centre at RSTP and/or information on the Special Economic Zone, please contact the Special Economic Zone Unit at RSTP at [email protected] or [email protected].