STEM university, Royal Jet coming to Eswatini
DUBAI, UAE – A Dubai-based business company is considering opening a university in Eswatini focusing on STEM education.
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education.
The Royal Jet Company, which deals with the leasing of private jets, is also on its way back into the kingdom, not just to fly people but to impart aviation skills to emaSwati, the King was assured yesterday.
This desire to set up a STEM university was expressed by the Chief Executive Officer of VISTA GROUP, Neeraj Varyani, a company that has been engaged in farming activities in the kingdom over the past few years, producing potatoes, onions, tomatoes, turmeric, ginger and moringer, among others.
Referred
“Eswatini is well located and you can say that in the same way that Rwanda is trying to be the Singapore of Africa, Eswatini can also be referred to as the Singapore of Africa. For our farms of about 500 hectares, we have tarred roads, water and electricity. The skills and labour are very good, sometimes a lot better than what we find in East and West Africa,” he said.
With this skill, he said, they were able to find a very good, solid team of people who were able to deliver on expectations.
He said that besides farming, the group also ran pharmaceutical distribution companies in 10 countries in Africa. One of these is in Eswatini.
“We have seen growth over the past five years and we now run a profitable business in Eswatini, hiring a small team of 30 people. It runs on its own with a full complement of emaSwati, “he shared.
The CEO added that the company ran education on the continent and set up a university in Ghana six years ago, spending US$50 million (about E900 million) on the project.
This was done to transform STEM education in that country and West Africa.
He said they have approximately 25 nationalities on the campus, but haven’t got one from Eswatini, though they were hoping locals would come very soon.
“We are seriously looking at setting up the same university, Academic City, in Eswatini. This country has access to 300 million people in the country and surrounding areas, with phenomenal infrastructure.
“Eswatini has probably the most bilateral trade agreements than any other African country. They are able to access not just the South, but the East, the West, the European Union, Taiwan and South-East Asia,” he said.
From that perspective, the group said it sees Eswatini as a phenomenal location, giving it access and being a trampoline to the rest of the continent and the rest of the world.
“So I hope I can stand here in a few years and tell you about the university that we will establish in Eswatini going forward from now, taking it forward from Ghana and building our second institution there,” he added. In closing, he urged his UAE counterparts to visit the kingdom and assured them they would find a safe and peaceful country to live in.
Meanwhile, Royal Jet Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Husain Ahmed said they were looking to have Eswatini as a hub for business in the region.
He said that with the support of the king, they believe they will improve traffic for their fleet of 14 private jets, which includes five 737 aircraft. He said they intended to base more than two aircraft in Eswatini.
Tourism
It must be noted that the company did set up base shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, which effectively ‘killed’ tourism.
“In the near future, we will visit Eswatini, where we will also talk about aircraft maintenance services, training of airport support staff, managing lounges, etc.
“Over the years, we have received a lot of help from other companies to develop our business, and we now believe we should share our experience in the aviation sector with others,” he said.
He urged other Emirates businesspeople to invest in the country, which has numerous opportunities to offer.
“I feel sad that we did not start our business in Eswatini 15-20 years ago.”
Another company sharing a testimony in Eswatini yesterday was Infra International DMCC through its Managing Director Ujjwal Goel.
He said the company has been operating in the kingdom over the last 10 years in various sectors, particularly in the ICT industry and was involved in the construction of the Royal Science and Technology Park. They have also worked on infrastructure projects such as the ICC, FISH and VIP Lounge at the King Mswati III International Airport.
“We have had a lot of positive learning. The country is committed to quality and delivering on set timelines from the get go. Eswatini offers a very strong economic framework, which improves the ease of doing business. Access to His Majesty and the ministries makes it easier to get progress on your projects,” he said.
Goel also praised the skilled labour force, especially in the construction industry, which allows companies to develop projects at lower costs. The other impressive aspect is being an English-speaking and safe environment.
“Overall, I do feel the opportunity to invest in Eswatini is amazing across various sectors, and we thank His Majesty for giving us the opportunity to contribute to the growth of Eswatini,” he said.