BY PHESHEYA KUNENE - EDITOR
SENEGAL - Agribusiness entrepreneur Vuyisile Dlamini is carrying Eswatini’s flag with calm strength and remarkable vocation.
Speaking from Senegal, where she has just graduated with distinction under the AUDA-NEPAD COYWA Programme, she described the experience as transformative and deeply affirming.
She said the three-month training, which began in Zambia and ended in Senegal, reshaped her understanding of enterprise and opened her eyes to Africa’s broader economic landscape.
The programme covered financial literacy, digital marketing, business planning, grant writing and prototyping. Each module, she noted, “sharpened her into a more deliberate and impact-driven entrepreneur”.
A moment of pride came when Eswatini was announced as the third-best performing country. She said the recognition reminded her of the talent and resilience carried by the nation’s youth. Graduating in the presence of the Senegalese Minister and AUDA-NEPAD leadership, she added, was an honour she would never forget.
A STORY OF COURAGE BUILT FROM STRUGGLE
Dlamini’s rise did not begin in a conference room. It began in a small room she rented as a self-sponsored university student, juggling tuition, rent, electricity, transport and the needs of her siblings. She said life demanded quick thinking and constant resourcefulness.
To survive, she created Bloom & Balm Perfumes and Sheroes Herbal Hairfood, two small businesses that kept her afloat. Old debts, empty fridges and long walks to campus shaped her early years. She explained that whatever remained from her profits went straight into her next venture, green pepper farming.
With little agricultural knowledge besides her primary school lessons, she leaned on the Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly, where she learned agroecology, organic farming, seed preservation and low-cost production methods. Her first harvest exceeded expectations. Vendors at Manzini Market praised her peppers for their freshness and quality.
The income funded her tuition. It paid for her siblings’ school uniform. It kept her home running. She said farming became her lifeline, her classroom and her breakthrough.
SHEROES VILLAGE CHICKENS: A DREAM WITH A SOCIAL PURPOSE
Today, Dlamini is building Sheroes Village Chickens, a poultry venture she believes will take her from survival to stability. She recently purchased roofing materials for her chicken houses, using profits from her perfume and herbal haircare lines.
She said the business is designed to grow beyond her personal ambitions. Her vision is to create employment for young people and women who are struggling to find opportunities. She described the project as “a commitment to rise with others, not alone”.
CONTINENTAL LESSONS THAT REFINE LOCAL DREAMS
Reflecting on her training in Zambia and Senegal, she said the financial literacy module changed her thinking. She learned the power of budgeting, saving and responsible spending. Trainers discouraged unnecessary loans, warning that debt can trap a young entrepreneur when the unexpected happens.
She said the message was clear: grow with what you have, protect your resources and honour small beginnings. Failure, she added, is not a verdict but a lesson.
She also urged policymakers in Eswatini to strengthen Agriculture education in schools. She believes children should learn farming early, not only for food security but as a pathway to income generation and community resilience.
A NEW CHAPTER FOR A DETERMINED ENTREPRENEUR
As she stood in Senegal, holding her certificate, she said she felt the weight of every sacrifice she has ever made. She thanked AUDA-NEPAD’s COYWA Programme and the Eswatini National Youth Council for believing in her and opening doors that once felt distant.
She described this milestone as “the beginning of a new season”. Her goal now is to expand her agribusiness ventures, empower youth and women, and contribute meaningfully to Eswatini’s agricultural future.
Dlamini believes she is “destined for greatness”. She said no setback will ever silence her ambition. Her journey from perfume bottles to continental classrooms, from green pepper fields to Senegal’s global spotlight, stands as one of Eswatini’s most compelling stories of grit, reinvention and upward rise.
She continues to prove that greatness is not inherited. It is built, patiently, quietly and courageously, until it changes the world.
