Photos (l to r): Cabinet Ministers, Members of both Houses of Parliament, Principal Secretaries, and senior government officials gathered on 21 September 2026 for the Kingdom Leadership and National Transformation seminar.
Eswatini’s Prime Minister, H.E. Russell Mmiso Dlamini (in a dark blue suit), called for a new national confidence: “An Africa that believes in Africans; an Eswatini that believes in emaSwati; and a people prepared to take responsibility for their own destiny.”
Prof Delanyo Adadevoh (in a sky-blue suit), as the keynote speaker, encouraged these government leaders to embrace a positive self-identity and a life of integrity.
Mbabane, Eswatini – Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has called for a fundamental shift in how Eswatini approaches national development, urging the nation to move away from dependency and consumption towards self-reliance, productivity, ownership and value creation.
He was speaking on 21 September 2026 at the Kingdom Leadership and National Transformation seminar, held at the Happy Valley Hotel and attended by Cabinet Ministers, Members of both Houses of Parliament, Principal Secretaries, and senior government officials. The keynote speaker was Professor Delanyo Adadevoh, President and Founder of the International Leadership Foundation, who addressed integrity, freedom, justice, and stewardship.
The Prime Minister observed that, despite its abundant land, minerals, energy, human capital and markets, Africa has for too long been a spectator in the exploitation of its own resources.
“Development cannot permanently be imported,” he said. “Investment and international partnerships remain necessary and welcome, but they must complement – not substitute – our own national agency. We must become the principal authors, investors and beneficiaries of Eswatini’s development.”
He noted that His Majesty King Mswati III had given the Government an unequivocal mandate to transform the Kingdom. “The message is clear: we must think bigger, act faster and be courageous enough to do things differently. Transformation therefore begins in the mind.”
He continued: “We require a new national confidence: an Africa that believes in Africans; an Eswatini that believes in emaSwati; and a people prepared to take responsibility for their own destiny.”
The Prime Minister cautioned that imported political or economic models are no cure on their own; institutions succeed only when they command legitimacy, uphold justice and respond to the history, culture and circumstances of the people they serve. “Yet no transformation will endure without integrity,” he added, calling on leaders to put the national interest above personal, political and institutional interests.
In his keynote address, Professor Adadevoh urged nations planning for new futures to think generationally. “Develop a generational plan that addresses all the major tracks for development and then the details can be worked out with your long-term strategic plans,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of a positive self-identity: “If you don’t have a positive self-identity, you cannot fight your way through the jungles of life.”
On integrity, he said: “You can invest capital. You can have the best brains on the board. You can even have very skilled management, but if the ordinary citizens do not have integrity … then institutions cannot stand the test of time. So, we don’t only point at our leaders; we must also point at ourselves.”
