Royal Science and Technology Park

Name

Royal Science and Technology Park

Legal name

Royal Science and Technology Park

Website

https://rstp.org.sz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Royal Science and Technology Park is a state-owned science and technology park in Eswatini, designated as a Special Economic Zone, offering industrial land leases, a National Data Centre, business incubator, ICT training, BPO contact centre, and biotech R&D facilities to foreign investors, startups, and government clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAAAK

Science, Technology & Innovation Administration (National R&D Policy)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Central/Federal Government Administration

Keywords

• Science and technology park
• Special economic zone
• Business incubation services
• Managed data centre services
• ICT vocational training

Headquarters

HQ city

Phocweni

HQ country

Eswatini

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Industrial Land Leases: RSTP SEZ manages 317.7 hectares of land, with 80ha of serviced industrial development land available at Nokwane and 79ha planned at Phocweni. Revenue generated through land lease agreements to investors and enterprises setting up operations in the Special Economic Zone.
2. Business Incubation Services: Comprehensive business incubation services including co-working space (Songcondvongcondvo Wemaswati House), capacity building, mentorship, legal services, IP protection, and fundraising support for startups.
3. ICT Managed Services: National Data Centre provides managed IT services including platform as a service, infrastructure as a service, software as a service, remote hand services, and colocation enabling companies to outsource ICT functions.
4. ICT Training Services: Advanced School of IT offers specialized ICT courses including ACCP, Arena Animation, ACNS, ISEH, and Cyber Security & Forensics programs affiliated with Aptech global training network.
5. National Contact Centre Services: Business process outsourcing solutions for local and international clients through the National Contact Centre.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Royal Science and Technology Park is a state-owned science and technology park in Eswatini operating as a Special Economic Zone with seven integrated business units: the Special Economic Zone (industrial land leasing), Business Incubator (startup support), National Data Centre (managed PaaS/IaaS/SaaS/colocation), Advanced School of IT (Aptech-affiliated ICT training), National Contact Centre (BPO), Biotechnology Research Facilities (R&D and bio-manufacturing), and One Stop Shop (investor services). Underlying the offering is 317.7 hectares of managed land, a 3-tier data centre, and intent to attract foreign direct investment and drive national technology adoption.

Product overview

Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP) operates as a comprehensive science and technology park ecosystem with multiple integrated business units. The portfolio includes the Special Economic Zone (managing 317.7 hectares of industrial land), Business Incubator (nurturing start-ups with infrastructure and support services), National Data Centre (providing IT managed services including PaaS, IaaS, SaaS, and colocation), Advanced School of IT (offering ICT training in partnership with Aptech), National Contact Centre (BPO services), and Biotechnology Research Facilities (R&D platform). The One Stop Shop Service Centre provides administrative support for investors. These products work together as an interconnected ecosystem designed to attract investment, support innovation, and develop technology capabilities within the Kingdom of Eswatini.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Special Economic Zone: Designated SEZ through the Special Economic Zone Act of 2018 to attract foreign investment and promote export-oriented growth.
• Business Incubator
• National Data Centre
• Advanced School of IT (ASIT)
• National Contact Centre
• Biotechnology Research Facilities
• One Stop Shop

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aptech LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAptech Limited is a global retail and corporate training solutions provider with presence in over 40 countries and network of over 1300 training centres worldwide. ISO9001:2000 certified, they offer customized training solutions to schools, universities, governments, and businesses. ASIT under RSTP is affiliated with Aptech, offering courses including ACCP, Arena Animation, ACNS, and ISEH programs. Aptech has education partnerships with Middlesex University (UK), University of Portsmouth (UK), and RMIT Australia.
• Local University Science DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRSTP Biotechnology Research Unit partners with local university science departments to ensure knowledge generation and develop scientists and engineers. The partnership supports research and development efforts in biotechnology, focusing on medical, industrial, and agricultural biotechnology research.
• SANBIo (Southern African Network for Biosciences on the Internet)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSANBIo is a Regional Bioscience Network. The Biotechnology Park serves as a focal point for this network, enabling efficient communication between national bioscience practitioners and the network, leading to faster awareness of opportunities and needs for local researchers.
• ITBI (Institute for Technology Business and Innovation)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorITBI manages the business incubator application process for RSTP. Candidates apply by downloading official application forms from ITBI website and email completed applications to [email protected]. ITBI serves as the primary referral channel for startup incubation services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Raxio Data Centre: Pan-African carrier-neutral data centre operator with facilities across multiple East and Southern African countries. Comparable in offering tier-III colocation and managed services for enterprise and government clients across Africa.
• Liquid Intelligent Technologies: Pan-African technology group providing fibre networks, cloud and data centre services across the continent. Comparable in offering enterprise-grade ICT infrastructure across multiple African markets, though at significantly greater scale.

Regional players

• Casablanca Technopark: Morocco's flagship technology park in Casablanca offering incubation, office space and acceleration for tech startups. Comparable as a North African technopark with a similar incubation-and-ICT-services model, but operating in a more developed ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Norrsken Kigali House: Rwanda-based pan-African entrepreneurship hub offering co-working, incubation and venture support for impact-driven startups. Comparable as an African startup ecosystem builder operating under strong government support.
• Co-creation Hub (CcHUB): Nigeria's leading innovation hub offering incubation, acceleration and venture support across multiple African countries. Comparable in providing a tech-entrepreneurship platform with government and corporate partnerships.
• BongoHive: Zambian innovation and technology hub providing co-working, incubation and startup programs. Comparable in its focus on early-stage enterprise support and ICT training, though more focused on entrepreneurship than full SEZ infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH): Botswana's national science and technology park providing incubation, technology transfer and innovation services, with a focus on biotech, ICT and mining-tech. Comparable as a small-economy, state-driven African innovation park operator.
• The Innovation Hub (TIH): South African state-linked science and technology park in Pretoria offering incubation, accelerator and technology platforms across biotech, ICT and green economy verticals. Closely comparable in mandate and service mix to RSTP, with a more mature tenant base.
• Konza Technopolis Development Authority (Konza City): State-owned Kenyan technology and innovation city being built as a Special Economic Zone with dedicated ICT, BPO and biotech zones. Directly comparable as a sovereign-backed African tech-and-SEZ park combining land leases, data centre and incubation infrastructure.

Others

• Aptech Limited: Global ICT training and education provider with 1,300+ centres across 40+ countries. Comparable as RSTP's existing ICT training partner via the Advanced School of IT, and as an adjacent enabler of the talent pipeline feeding the park.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rstp_eswatini
• Facebookfacebook.com/Royal-Science-and-Technology-Park-951545808240448
• Instagraminstagram.com/rstpeswatini/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/royal-science-technology-park

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Royal Science and Technology Park