* Ingwenyama hails Taiwan Eswatini relations
* King challenges Emaswati on industrial parks drive
* PHD Scholar praises King, Govt for bilateral health initiatives
* No money stress with ICDF Scholarship – PHD Nurse
* Why Emaswati working in Taiwan are deeply grateful to the King
By King’s Correspondents
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – A fully packed banquet hall at the Grand Hyatt Hotel erupted in uncontainable joy and celebration as Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Pholile Shakantu, announced a special royal gift from His Majesty the King to Eswatini students, workers, and nationals living and working in Taiwan.
Under the royal command delivered during a high-spirited gathering, every Eswatini national present at the event is set to receive US$500 (about E8,000). The announcement was met with thunderous applause, traditional songs and jubilant cheers from the large gathering of scholars and professionals.
Minister Shakantu, who earlier introduced the King and invited him to the podium, delivered glowing remarks praising His Majesty for his dedication to his people. She said despite an exceptionally demanding international itinerary and heavy state engagements since arriving in Taiwan, the King ensured he made time to meet with the Eswatini community.
“We thank His Majesty the King for the great address and we are grateful that each time the King travels abroad, he always affords students and citizens the opportunity to meet and greet their monarch. This is a profound demonstration of the deep love he has for his people,” she said.
The Minister also noted the overwhelming turnout for the dinner engagement, observing that despite venue management adding extra tables and seating to accommodate the surging crowd, not all the high number of Eswatini nationals in Taiwan were present.
INGWENYAMA HAILS TAIWAN ESWATINI RELATIONS
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – His Majesty King Mswati III has described the relations between the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Republic of China (Taiwan) as a strategic partnership that must now deliver faster industrial growth, skills transfer and jobs for Emaswati.
The King made the remarks last night during the dinner with Emaswati students and workers held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
He said his bilateral meetings with President Lai Ching-te, government officials and business reaffirmed the 58-year diplomatic relationship between the two countries and discussed practical ways of turning existing cooperation into visible development outcomes.
His Majesty, who was accompanied by Liphovela LaZuma, Emazinyane, ministers and Libandla, said his meeting with President Lai had been successful and had covered Eswatini’s ambition to reach First World status through short-, medium- and long-term development plans. He said Taiwan had responded positively to that vision and had committed itself to continue supporting programmes that can help the kingdom build the capacity required for transformation.
The outcomes of the engagements included renewed emphasis on education, scholarships, industrial development, energy, investment and people-to-people exchanges.
One of the practical results highlighted by the King was the commitment to increase the number of Emaswati students in Taiwan through scholarships. He said learning must be followed by exposure and work experience, so that students and professionals can become part of Taiwan’s advanced economy, understand its work culture and return home with skills that can solve Eswatini’s social and economic challenges.
His Majesty said Taiwan’s own development journey offered important lessons for Eswatini. He noted that, despite having limited natural resources, Taiwan invested in its people and sent citizens to Europe and the United States of America to acquire knowledge and experience. Those skills later helped Taiwan build industries, technology capacity and a competitive economy.
The King said Eswatini must follow the same route by ensuring that Emaswati studying and working in Taiwan learn from one of the world’s most advanced manufacturing and technology economies. He urged them to use their presence in Taiwan to master specialised fields, including engineering, energy, industrial planning, healthcare, agriculture, digital systems and other sectors needed to move Eswatini towards First World status.
He also said Taiwanese companies were interested in investing in Eswatini and would need skilled Emaswati who can work with them. This, he said, made education and workplace exposure in Taiwan central to the country’s wider industrialisation agenda, including planned industrial parks and other major infrastructure projects.
The King encouraged students and workers to continue representing Eswatini with discipline and respect, saying their conduct had strengthened the country’s image in Taiwan. He said the two embassies would work on structures to expand opportunities for more Emaswati to study and gain experience in Taiwan.
For Eswatini, the relationship with Taiwan is therefore not only diplomatic. It is a platform for skills, investment, industrialisation and national transformation, with the King making clear that Emaswati abroad must help bring home the knowledge needed to build a modern and competitive economy.
KING CHALLENGES EMASWATI ON INDUSTRIAL PARKS DRIVE
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – His Majesty King Mswati III has challenged government and Emaswati studying and working in Taiwan to help Eswatini deliver industrial parks equal to, or better than, the planned Taiwan Industrial and Innovation Park, saying the country must find sustainable ways to fund major development projects.
Speaking during a dinner with Emaswati students and citizens employed in Taiwan, the King said the Taiwan Industrial and Innovation Park, known as TIIP, represented one of the flagship outcomes of Eswatini’s deepening cooperation with the Republic of China (Taiwan). He said the project should become a model for a wider national industrialisation programme that reaches all regions of the kingdom.
His Majesty said the proposed E6 billion TIIP was being planned as more than a collection of factories. It would include industrial space, residential areas, energy supply and supporting services needed to attract investors and create jobs. However, he warned that current energy levels were not sufficient to support deeper industrial growth, making power generation a central part of the project.
The King said Eswatini and Taiwan had discussed possible energy solutions, including solar, wind, biomass and other renewable strategies. He said the world was moving towards climate-friendly sources of power, while Eswatini was also looking at how to use its available resources (like coal) responsibly to support industrial activity.
His Majesty said the assurance received from Taiwan on the TIIP was encouraging because the project would open opportunities for employment, manufacturing and technology transfer. He said the kingdom could not stop with one park, as government was already looking at four additional regional industrial parks that should match or surpass the standard being set by the TIIP.
“We are talking billions here,” the King told the gathering, noting that ministries had been given the task of planning projects that could be equal to or better than the E6 billion development. He said one industrial park would not be enough because development had to be spread across the country and create opportunities closer to communities.
His Majesty said the challenge now was not only to design such projects, but to raise the money required without depending on unsustainable approaches.
He said Eswatini needed alternative financing models, bankable ideas and skilled people who understand how large industrial, residential, health, education and infrastructure components can be packaged into workable projects.
The King urged Emaswati in Taiwan to contribute ideas through the embassy and to use their exposure to Taiwan’s advanced economy to help the kingdom realise its vision. He said those studying engineering, technology, energy, finance, health, industrial planning and related fields had a critical role to play in making Eswatini competitive.
He added that Taiwan’s achievements in areas such as semiconductors, satellite technology, manufacturing and innovation showed the level to which Eswatini must aspire. He said Emaswati abroad should learn from these systems and return home ready to help the country move from ambition to implementation.
His Majesty also praised the conduct of Emaswati students and workers in Taiwan, saying their good behaviour, respect and discipline had created a positive image for the kingdom. He said Taiwanese hosts had expressed appreciation for the way Emaswati carried themselves, and urged them to continue protecting the country’s reputation.
The King said students were working hard, while those employed in Taiwan had adapted well, including learning Mandarin and integrating into the workplace. He said such commitment demonstrated that Emaswati could compete internationally and also learn quickly from advanced economies.
For the King, the TIIP and the proposed four regional parks now represent a national test of vision, planning and execution. His message to Emaswati in Taiwan was that the country needs their ideas, skills and discipline to build industries, create jobs and place Eswatini firmly on the path to First World status.
PHD SCHOLAR PRAISES KING, GVT FOR BILATERAL HEALTH INITIATIVES
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – A liSwati health researcher, Mphumelo Ndlela, has praised the Ministry of Health for actively engaging young scholars abroad to help restructure the Kingdom’s healthcare sector.
Speaking at a dinner with emaSwati hosted in honour of His Majesty’s visit, Ndlela, who is currently completing a PhD in Taiwan under the TaiwanICDF scholarship scheme, thanked His Majesty the King for appointing leadership in the health sector that has taken a proactive approach by personally reaching out to Swati medical and public health students studying in Taiwan.
“The Minister has been exceptionally hands-on. He has reached out to medical students to guide us on where our skills will be most needed based on future healthcare forecasts in Eswatini,” he said.
He added that despite having no personal ties to the ministry, its leadership opened doors for regular consultations:
“It is deeply encouraging that while studying abroad, you have direct access to decision-makers. Having a platform to share impactful ideas gathered here in Taiwan to help restructure our health system at home makes a tremendous difference,” he commended.
Beyond his academic research, Ndlela said he has been leveraging Taiwan’s medical technology sector to forge practical partnerships for Eswatini. He has initiated discussions with Taiwanese medical supply and manufacturing firms to explore logistics and support frameworks aimed at bolstering healthcare delivery in Eswatini.
Ndlela is expected to graduate next year, after which he plans to return to Eswatini to apply his research and local industry partnerships to the national health system.
Detailing his academic journey and his vision for transforming health infrastructure back home, he explained in an interview that after completing his Master’s degree in Taiwan, he returned to Eswatini to work with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), before returning to Taiwan to pursue his doctoral degree, now in his fourth year.
NO MONEY STRESS WITH ICDF SCHOLARSHIP – PHD NURSE
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Eswatini healthcare professional and nurse Celiwe Magongo has heaped praise on the fully funded scholarship that is funding her PhD studies in Global Health and Health Security.
Magongo spoke on behalf of students studying in Taiwan when they met His Majesty the King, who was accompanied by Liphovela LaZuma. She said her studies are fully funded by the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) scholarship, which is a comprehensive bilateral initiative provided by the Republic of China (Taiwan) for partner allies.
Highlighting the scope of the scholarship, she noted that the 100 per cent coverage removes financial stress entirely. “They pay for everything, from tuition to accommodation to monthly allowances. We just worry about school,” she said.
Speaking on her academics, she described it as a purposeful journey bridging clinical practice at home and advanced education abroad. She said after completing a Master’s degree in Advanced Nursing in Taiwan between 2021 and 2023, she returned to Eswatini to apply her skills in the healthcare sector for two years before returning to Taipei Medical University (TMU) to undertake doctoral studies.
Originating from Siteki, Magongo is currently advancing her expertise at TMU, where she is in her fourth overall year in Taiwan pursuing a PhD in Global Health and Health Security. She said her ongoing doctoral research in this course aligns with broader efforts to modernise health systems and emergency preparedness.
WHY EMASWATI WORKING IN TAIWAN ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO THE KING
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Representatives of Eswatini nationals living and working in Taiwan are deeply grateful to His Majesty the King for the bilateral relations with Taiwan.
They have told the King that the strong partnership has opened doors for invaluable professional development, academic advancement and cultural exchange.
Speaking on behalf of the working locals, Thulani Nxumalo, from the Nkambeni chiefdom under Chief Ndlaluhlaza, expressed deep gratitude for the opportunities afforded to Eswatini nationals in Taiwan. Beyond pursuing their own professional and academic endeavours, Nxumalo noted that they also actively foster mutual cultural exchange.
“While we are here learning and gaining immense knowledge, we also take pride in sharing our rich Swati culture and teaching English, bridging our two nations through people-to-people connections,” he said.
Nxumalo emphasized that the experience of studying and working in Taiwan provides vital insights that will inspire hope and contribute directly to national development upon returning home.
Echoing these sentiments, Khestiwe Msibi, representing Eswatini teachers, conveyed heartfelt thanks on behalf of educators based in Taiwan. She reaffirmed the community’s commitment to excellence and purpose while abroad.
“On behalf of the teachers, we thank the leadership and the strong relations with Taiwan. We are fully dedicated to doing what we came here to do. The advanced skills, methodologies, and knowledge we are acquiring will be implemented to significantly improve the education system of Eswatini when we get back home,” she promised the King.
