BY THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE – Eswatini’s Dr Glory Msibi has used her position as President of the East Central and Southern Africa College of Nursing and Midwives (ECSACONM) to call for stronger nursing and midwifery leadership as the continent confronts an increasingly complex healthcare environment.
Dr Msibi delivered the message during the 17th ECSACONM Biennial Scientific Conference held in Zanzibar, Tanzania, from September 14 to 16, 2026, where she served as one of the key leaders of the regional gathering.
The conference, held at the Golden Tulip Zanzibar Airport Hotel under the theme “Nurses and Midwives Sustaining Quality Healthcare in a Changing World,” brought together nurses, midwives, educators, policymakers, researchers and students from across East, Central and Southern Africa and beyond. The scientific conference was followed by ECSACONM’s Quadrennial General Assembly from September 17 to 18.
Dr Msibi told delegates that nurses and midwives must be prepared to respond to a rapidly changing healthcare landscape, highlighting climate-related health threats, disasters, emergencies, limited financial resources and growing expectations for quality and patient-centred healthcare.
“You should shift to these patterns and profiles: climate-related health threats, disasters and emergencies, shrinking financial resources, and increasing demands for quality, safe patient-centered care,” she said.
She stressed that nurses and midwives remain at the heart of healthcare delivery because of their proximity to patients, families and communities.
“At the center of our response to these challenges are our nurses and midwives, who constitute the largest component of the health and welfare workforce,” Dr Msibi said.
“They are often the only health professionals close to individuals, families, and communities.”
Her remarks placed particular emphasis on the importance of strengthening nursing education so that the profession can keep pace with changing health demands.
“Additionally, despite this critical contribution, nurses and midwives continue to face challenges related to education. Joining the global village means taking on some of these challenges,” she said.
Dr Msibi’s leadership at the Zanzibar conference further highlighted the growing regional role of Eswatini in nursing and midwifery development.
According to the International Council of Nurses (ICN), Dr Msibi is the President of ECSACONM and a councillor of Pigg’s Peak Town in Eswatini. She previously served as Chief Nursing Officer in Eswatini’s Ministry of Health and founded the Swaziland Nurses Association.
Her professional record includes more than two decades of experience in clinical and primary healthcare. The ICN says she served for 12 years as a Registrar, where she was involved in reviewing legislation and developing regulatory frameworks covering nursing education and practice standards, professional ethics, scopes of practice and continuing professional development.
Her work has also extended beyond Eswatini’s borders through ECSACONM, which provides a regional platform for advancing nursing and midwifery education, leadership, research and professional practice.
At the Zanzibar conference, Dr Msibi was specifically featured by ECSACONM as a key speaker ahead of the event, with the organisation highlighting her leadership role under the conference theme of sustaining quality healthcare in a changing world.
Her regional leadership is not new. At the 16th ECSACONM Biennial Scientific Conference in Lesotho in September 2024, Dr Msibi was listed among the conference’s senior speakers and participated in a plenary discussion on human resources for health.
Her leadership also comes at a time when nursing education and professional development are receiving increasing attention across Africa.
Earlier in 2026, Dr Msibi participated in a continental forum in Kigali focused on harmonising nursing and midwifery curricula, alongside senior representatives from AUDA-NEPAD and the East Central and Southern Africa Health Community. The discussions emphasised harmonised education standards as a means of building a stronger and more unified African health workforce.
Through her role at ECSACONM, Dr Msibi has therefore positioned Eswatini’s nursing leadership within broader regional conversations on healthcare quality, professional education, regulation and workforce development.
Her Zanzibar message was ultimately a call for nurses and midwives to remain central to healthcare transformation while adapting their education, skills and leadership to emerging challenges.
For Eswatini, her regional role provides a platform through which the country’s nursing expertise and professional leadership continue to contribute to shaping the future of healthcare across the wider East, Central and Southern African region.
#ECSACONM2026 #DrGloryMsibi #Eswatini #NursingLeadership #Midwifery #Healthcare #Nursing #ECSACONM #Zanzibar2026 #HealthWorkforce #QualityHealthcare #AfricanHealthcare #NursingEducation #EswatiniLeadership
