Taiwanese businessman Ruan Yaofeng: Promoting Eswatini Industrial Park in Africa
Taiwanese energy consultant Ruan Yaofeng is assisting in promoting industrial parks in Eswatini, leveraging Taiwan's energy and technology advantages under the government's "Rongbang Project." He emphasizes Africa's development potential, viewing Eswatini as a gateway to the Southern African market. Ruan's past experience in Malawi led him to focus on solar power and electricity systems, and he utilizes his strong relationships with South African political and business circles. Many companies are currently in the evaluation phase, with plans to integrate Taiwanese resources and deepen cooperation with the African market.
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- 📰 Published: April 7, 2026 at 23:31
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 00:00 (29 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 19:17 (187h 17m after Collected)
Ruan Yaofeng stated in an exclusive interview with Central News Agency that he was invited to participate in the overall energy and industrial development planning and assist in promoting relevant international layouts. As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to lead a delegation to Eswatini on the 22nd of this month and participate in the King of Eswatini's birthday celebration, the industry continues to pay attention to the progress of follow-up policies and配套 measures from both governments.
Ruan Yaofeng, an energy consultant who previously collaborated with Acer founder Stan Shih on sustainable energy strategies, said that under the framework of the Taiwan government's "Rongbang Project," Taiwan's energy and technology industry advantages are integrated to expand overseas markets, while promoting cooperation between the government and enterprises, and gradually moving from project introduction to localized industrial development. Taiwan's industrial innovation parks are not only investment and manufacturing bases but also combine technology output and talent cultivation, which helps establish large-scale industrial cooperation models.
He said that with the global energy transition and increasing infrastructure demand, Taiwan has technological and industrial integration advantages and development space in emerging markets such as Africa.
Ruan Yaofeng was Taiwan's first alternative service draftee for diplomacy, stationed in Malawi in his early years to participate in medical and technical cooperation. This experience made him realize the importance of infrastructure and technical capabilities, and he gradually shifted to the field of energy and industrial integration. He recalled that in a hospital in Malawi, he encountered a power outage during surgery, which prompted him to engage in solar energy and power system-related work and further consider how to improve local development conditions through technology introduction.
He mentioned that when he participated in medical-related projects in South Africa in the early days, he collaborated with a Japanese technical team and observed the differences in the implementation of various international cooperation models in the local area. This experience also influenced his subsequent direction in promoting technology and industrial integration in Africa.
Ruan Yaofeng has long had good interactions with political and business circles in South Africa, reaching the highest level with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. He pointed out that South Africa still has demand for energy and industrial transformation, and Taiwan has cooperation potential in relevant fields. The local market has characteristics such as a young population and growth potential, and there is still ample room for development. In terms of policy promotion, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has proposed eight major flagship projects through the "Rongbang Project" in recent years, with energy and sustainable development being one of the important directions.
He believes that African countries have clear demands in areas such as electricity, education, and medical care. If combined with technological and industrial advantages, it will help deepen bilateral cooperation. Eswatini has a geographical advantage for entering the Southern African market, coupled with labor conditions and regional trade systems, making it a potential production and export base and a node for connecting the Middle East, Europe, and the United States markets.
Ruan Yaofeng said that most companies are currently in the evaluation and planning stage, covering technology, manufacturing, and food processing. Subsequent progress will depend on policy coordination and infrastructure. In the future, Taiwan's energy and technology industry resources will continue to be integrated to deepen cooperation with the African market and promote long-term industrial development through platforms such as Taiwan's industrial innovation parks. (Editor: Chen Cheng-kung) 1150407
Ruan Yaofeng, an energy consultant who previously collaborated with Acer founder Stan Shih on sustainable energy strategies, said that under the framework of the Taiwan government's "Rongbang Project," Taiwan's energy and technology industry advantages are integrated to expand overseas markets, while promoting cooperation between the government and enterprises, and gradually moving from project introduction to localized industrial development. Taiwan's industrial innovation parks are not only investment and manufacturing bases but also combine technology output and talent cultivation, which helps establish large-scale industrial cooperation models.
He said that with the global energy transition and increasing infrastructure demand, Taiwan has technological and industrial integration advantages and development space in emerging markets such as Africa.
Ruan Yaofeng was Taiwan's first alternative service draftee for diplomacy, stationed in Malawi in his early years to participate in medical and technical cooperation. This experience made him realize the importance of infrastructure and technical capabilities, and he gradually shifted to the field of energy and industrial integration. He recalled that in a hospital in Malawi, he encountered a power outage during surgery, which prompted him to engage in solar energy and power system-related work and further consider how to improve local development conditions through technology introduction.
He mentioned that when he participated in medical-related projects in South Africa in the early days, he collaborated with a Japanese technical team and observed the differences in the implementation of various international cooperation models in the local area. This experience also influenced his subsequent direction in promoting technology and industrial integration in Africa.
Ruan Yaofeng has long had good interactions with political and business circles in South Africa, reaching the highest level with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. He pointed out that South Africa still has demand for energy and industrial transformation, and Taiwan has cooperation potential in relevant fields. The local market has characteristics such as a young population and growth potential, and there is still ample room for development. In terms of policy promotion, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has proposed eight major flagship projects through the "Rongbang Project" in recent years, with energy and sustainable development being one of the important directions.
He believes that African countries have clear demands in areas such as electricity, education, and medical care. If combined with technological and industrial advantages, it will help deepen bilateral cooperation. Eswatini has a geographical advantage for entering the Southern African market, coupled with labor conditions and regional trade systems, making it a potential production and export base and a node for connecting the Middle East, Europe, and the United States markets.
Ruan Yaofeng said that most companies are currently in the evaluation and planning stage, covering technology, manufacturing, and food processing. Subsequent progress will depend on policy coordination and infrastructure. In the future, Taiwan's energy and technology industry resources will continue to be integrated to deepen cooperation with the African market and promote long-term industrial development through platforms such as Taiwan's industrial innovation parks. (Editor: Chen Cheng-kung) 1150407