Women in leadership 
The High Value Crop and Horticultural Project (HVCHP) of ESWADE recently hosted a High-level Woman Leadership Conference at the George Hotel in Manzini on the 4th of September 2019. Invited guest speakers included Senator Sylvia Mthethwa; Director of SWAGAA Ms. Nonhlanhla Dlamini; FESBIC CEO Ms. Dudu Nhlengetfwa; NEDBANK CEO Ms. Fikile Nkosi and Eswatini Mobile’s Chief Customer Exec. Ms. Gciniwe Fakudze. The conference was themed “Being a Woman of Valor” and targeted the participation of women that are board members in the different farmer schemes under the HVCHP project. A total of 65 women from the 18 farmer schemes attended the conference enthusiastically. Their enthusiasm was equally matched by ESWADE CEO Mr. Samson Sithole in his opening remarks which clarified what it means for women to be in leadership and why this was needed for the project to succeed. The CEO mentioned that gendermainstreaming is a principal element of the organization’s different projects and that this is guided by the ESWADE Gender Policy which seeks to strengthen women participation in development. In his remarks, the CEO urged women to therefore take full advantage of such opportunities like this event for both themselves as individuals and the leadership positions they hold in their communities. 

Getting your voice heard 
Different topics were accorded to the different invited guests. Ms. Nonhlanhla Dlamini was tasked with the responsibility of motivating the participants on how to get their voices heard as women in leadership in a male dominated society. When introducing herself she mentioned that she was from SWAGAA and organization that deals with all forms of abuse particularly on women and children in particularly the girl child. She mentioned that they as an organization deal with four types of abuse which are physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and financial abuse. She encouraged the participants to believe in themselves for their voices to be heard in society. In her presentation she mentioned that for women to be heard in society they must understand the principle of effective communication. Ms. Nonhlanhla held that for women to be heard they must know how to communicate with everyone they communicate with, she mentioned that it is important that they choose the best platform to address their issues. One thing that she mentioned as an important principle in communication is respect and the use of appropriate language when addressing people. She also held that for women to be heard and taken serious they must also dress appropriately and prepare themselves adequately when they address people. 
Finding and Engaging Male Allies – In introducing her remarks she lauded ESWADE for hosting such an important conference that with empower women to stand for themselves and have their voices heard. She mentioned that women are the back born of their households and the heart of the community. It was also revealed in her presentation that women have not been accepted in many societies to be leaders, referring to herself as the first female RA in the country setting a precedence. She said a lot of people would ask her how she would address male chiefs and handle disputes in the chiefdoms as a female figure. She said that she struggled when she assumed the RA’s office but later acclimatized to the demands of the office. The senator held that what made her to be successful in the office was respect. She remarked that men want respect more than anything, she held that you should always show respect when leading man, show them that you recognize them.  
Senator Sylvia Mthethwa emphasizing the power of presence 

Defining and Marketing Your Brand 
Ms. Gciniwe’s presentation centered on making yourself a brand, she encouraged the women leaders to make a brand out of themselves. She mentioned that making a brand out of yourself makes you to be trusted in society. She mentioned that when you are a brand your actions are trusted in society such that even big companies can trust you with their product and become their brand ambassador. She also encouraged the participants to feel free in marketing and defining themselves as a brand. In her presentation she remarked that they should pay attention to Brand Association, she was encouraging the participants to associate themselves with the best brands so that they could build their brand. She mentioned one brand Coca Cola as one brand that has worked very hard in creating a lasting legacy for itself such that it is a global brand now. She even mentioned that networking and having connections plays an important role in creating your brand.