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PRESS
RELEASE
 NEW
SWAZI AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO PRESIDENT BUSH
 (WASHINGTON,
OCTOBER 6, 2005) His Excellency Ephraim M. Hlophe,
the new Ambassador of the Kingdom of Swaziland to the United States,
presented his credentials to President George W. Bush at the White
House on Monday, October 3.
A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Ambassador Hlophe was
principal secretary for the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development,
and has served as Swaziland’s National Contact Point for the
Southern African Development Community and as a member of the Swaziland
Investment Promotion Authority (SIPA).
Ambassador Hlophe said that he hopes to see “increased attention
in the United States toward trade and investment opportunities in
Swaziland. Our country welcomes American firms to explore the many
possibilities Swaziland has to offer in mining, tourism, manufacturing,
agribusiness, and international services.”
Swaziland, Ambassador Hlophe said, “is working with the United
States in developing an investment code, and the United States is
working with the Swaziland Investment Promotion Authority to help
attract foreign investment. We appreciate the work USAID is doing
to develop an ‘investor road map’ to identify barriers
to foreign investment and to form the basis of a new investment code.”
Ambassador Hlophe added: “One of King Mswati’s highest
priorities is to reduce substantially the incidence of HIV/AIDS in
Swaziland. While U.S. cooperation and assistance in this sobering
endeavor is important, we also see a model for success in Uganda,
where the ABC program – Abstinence, Be Faithful, Use Condoms
– has offered a path that Swaziland can follow.”
Ambassador Hlophe thanked President Bush for his hospitality and presented
him with a gift as a token of friendship between Swaziland and the
United States – a candle in the shape of an elephant, manufactured
by a Swazi firm, Swazi Candles, using the age-old technique called
“millefiore.”
The Kingdom of Swaziland, a country of 1.2 million people, is located
between South Africa and Mozambique. Slightly smaller than New Jersey,
it has a land area of just over 6,700 square miles. Swaziland is a
member of the United Nations, the African Union, Common Market for
Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and Southern African Development
Community (SADC). It maintains diplomatic missions in Brussels, Copenhagen,
Kuala Lumpur, London, Maputo, Nairobi, Pretoria, Taipei, the United
Nations, and Washington.
SOURCE: Embassy of the Kingdom of Swaziland
URL: http://www.gov.sz
CONTACT: Christian Nkambule, 202-234-5002
or
Richard Sincere, 202-903-5555
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