King Mswati III, the leader of the Kingdom of Eswatini, has urged Africa to perfect its development infrastructure modelled on the European Union (EU), to emphasise trade among African countries and to cooperate more in all sectors.

He said that would help to harmonise efforts for accelerated development on the continent.

King Mswati stated that in spite of the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area as a platform for a seamless trading regime on the continent, trade among African countries remained limited, while other internal protocols had not been able to mimic the EU standards they were required to follow.

The monarch of the landlocked southern African state made the remarks in Accra yesterday during bilateral discussions with his host, President John Dramani Mahama, upon arrival in the country on a four-day state visit.

Traditional wear

Attired in a full length wrapper of Eswatini traditional wear over the shoulders, with a complementary skirt, a necklace and sandals, King Mswati advertised the famed culture of his native country with pride.

But he considered the united African course as an ultimate objective the continent must pursue, insisting that intra-African trade must be emphasised and promoted to good effect.

“Let's trade more with African countries because if you look at the trade within Africa, you can see that it is very limited.

It is high time we really turned around that situation and make Africa to trade more with one another,” he said.

“So we are here from Eswatini to see what are the opportunities, how can we trade, because obviously when you are to do trade infrastructure, it's one of the key things for any developing country or continent that has to be developed.

“When you look at the other continents, when we duplicated the African Union from the EU, and when you look at how much they've structured themselves economically with infrastructure, the cooperation between themselves, it is very, very strong.

So, for us here in Africa we must duplicate the EU in all its success stories, so that we can also do similar and transform our African places,” King Mswati said.

Expression of hope

Between Ghana and Eswatini, he expressed the hope that the visit and subsequent engagements would enhance trade relations, cultural exchange efforts, increased tourism projects and other mutually beneficial economic activities.

“So, we hope our visit will allow us the opportunity to see how the two countries can share in a lot of information, exchange of culture, trade, tourism and other sectors that are there.

Now, let's try and see how we promote the two citizens from capital to capital to exchange visits.

In that way, we get to know each other very, very well,” he said.

“We are looking forward to see the people of this country, and to exchange a lot of information.

We have a lot in common, especially when it comes to culture, lifestyles and so on.

We can share a lot; a lot of ideas could be developed,” he added.

King Mswati praised Ghana’s democratic credentials, and congratulated President Mahama on his resounding electoral victory in December 2024, saying: “I am sure that you are going to make the people of Ghana very proud”.

Commitment

President Mahama also emphasised that Africa needed to forge closer ties and cooperate in areas of relevance to achieve the intended development of the continent.

“Ghana believes that we must continue to forge even closer ties,” he said.

President Mahama reiterated the country’s unwavering commitment to deepening regional integration and promoting African unity.

He described the visit by King Mswati and his delegation as a significant milestone in strengthening bilateral relations between Ghana and Eswatini.

He welcomed the King and his delegation warmly, highlighting the country’s historical leadership in Africa’s fight for independence and its ongoing role in promoting continental cooperation.

“We believe that this visit will serve to further cement the ties and strengthen the relationship that exists between our two countries,” the President said.

“Ghana was the first country south of the Sahara to gain independence, and we played a central role in the liberation of many African nations.

This legacy continues to drive our commitment to African unity,” he said.

National vision

Mr Mahama emphasised the vision of the country’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who championed the cause of African unity decades ago.

“Although his dream was not fully realised in his time, it behoves us, as the leaders of today, to work diligently to bring our countries even closer together,” he said.

Mr Mahama lauded the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) project as a critical tool for economic integration.

“We are happy to have signed the AfCFTA protocol, which allows us to trade goods and services across borders.

Your visit and the discussions we will hold today will help shape a new framework for even deeper cooperation that exists between our two countries.,” the President added.