Leveraging AI tools for market diversification and resilience in evolving global context
The digital economy is expected to account for 17% of the global economy by 2028, and businesses need to adapt their strategies. To prepare Eswatini firms to harness new digital trade opportunities, key business support organizations took part in a four-day training on market diversification, digital trade, and AI tools. The training brought together participants from the Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority and other key trade promotion and support institutions.
‘The training aims at supporting businesses in Eswatini to take advantage of regional and global opportunities to create more jobs and foster inclusive growth,’ said Luis Miguel Pascoal, EU Programme Officer.
The EU funds the Eswatini: Promoting growth through competitive alliances programme, which implemented by ITC in partnership with the Eswatini Government.
The workshop focused on practical skills to small businesses find new markets and embrace digital trade. They learned how to read market data to identify export opportunities and how to select digital channels — such as e-commerce platforms and social media — to reach international buyers.
They also explored how AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity can help analyze market information and create marketing content tailored to different audiences. Through interactive exercises, they practiced generating product descriptions and social media posts, and analysing trade flow datasets with AI assistance.
The participants also developed their own market diversification roadmaps, which lay out markets to target, digital channels to use, and AI tools to enhance their market entry. Business support organizations can use the roadmaps to guide small businesses in navigating new market opportunities.
"This training will add so much value for Eswatini Foods, especially because we are already exporting to Scotland and Germany. We will continue to explore the AI tools introduced here to enhance our business content and improve our market analysis — especially as we target the EU market."
Damien De Sousa - Head of Sales, Eswatini Foods
2025, Ezulwini, Eswatini – Business support organizations and exporters in Eswatini explored opportunities for export market diversification using ITC Market Analysis tools and the Global Trade Helpdesk.
2025, Ezulwini, Eswatini – Discussion among participants in the Export Market Diversification, Digital Trade and AI training.
2025, Ezulwini, Eswatini – Business support organizations and exporters in Eswatini participated in a four-day training on Market Diversification, Digital Trade and AI.
About the Programme
The ITC-Alliances for Action programme Eswatini: Promoting growth through competitive alliances, funded by the EU, supports job creation for small farmers, entrepreneurs, and artisans. Eswatini offers the global market unique organic produce, artisan roasted coffee, handmade cultural creations, and gourmet condiment lines.
ITC works closely with smallholder farmers, agro-processors, and artisans in Eswatini to support them in ways that are sustainable and benefit both people and the planet. In this way, ITC fosters and preserves cultural heritage, and draws on artisan skills and concepts of green growth.
Alliances for Action is an ITC initiative that seeks to transform food systems through producer partnerships that cultivate ethical, climate-smart, sustainable agricultural value chains.