The Made in Eswatini Movement has entered a transformative new chapter. This is through a strategic partnership between A Peculiar People and The K3Y, a leadership development firm, with the aim of unlocking the nation’s entrepreneurial potential by fusing mindset transformation with enterprise development.
The partnership was officially unveiled during the Unlock Made in Eswatini Breakfast Session held at the United Nations House in Mbabane last week.
Under this new phase, The K3Y will introduce a Personal Mastery Journey, a four-month leadership development programme designed to help entrepreneurs overcome limiting beliefs, build resilience, and develop mental agility.
Through this collaboration, entrepreneurs will undergo the Personal Mastery Journey, helping them adopt purpose-driven leadership and design businesses that can compete across borders.
When making her presentation Sian Louw, the founder of The K3Y, urged business leaders to “break hypnotic rhythms”, the repetitive thought patterns and behaviours that often keep individuals and organisations stuck in unproductive cycles.
“The hardest prison to escape is the one we build by our own habits,” she said. “Freedom begins when we think on our own thoughts again. That’s when creativity, innovation, and courage return to our work.”
Louw explained that sustainable enterprise growth is impossible without inner growth, adding that the Eswatini entrepreneurship ecosystem is ready for a transformation that begins within.
“We are not just training entrepreneurs to scale businesses; we are helping them scale their minds,” she said.
The partnership forms part of A Peculiar People’s broader mission to fuel the next generation of job creators and build a resilient Made in Eswatini economy. The movement’s five strategic pillars – market knowledge, access, capacity, consumer trust, and sustainability – will now be integrated with mindset development initiatives led by The K3Y.
Speaking at the event, Melusi Zox Dlamini, Chairperson of A Peculiar People and Convener of the Made in Eswatini Movement, described the partnership as a pivotal shift designed to strengthen the country’s entrepreneurial culture from the inside out.
“We are here to reflect, refine, and reimagine what comes next,” Dlamini said. “This partnership allows us to strengthen our national resolve, to align our efforts and unlock the agility required for Eswatini’s enterprises to thrive locally, regionally, and globally.”
He noted that while Eswatini has made significant progress in promoting locally made goods through national campaigns, awards, and digital platforms, the next stage of growth will depend on the nation’s ability to transform its collective mindset, from dependency to self-sufficiency and from consumerism to creation.
Dlamini emphasized that the programme will complement ongoing efforts to position Eswatini’s enterprises for global markets, such as the launch of madeineswatini.store, the Made in Eswatini Consumer Fair, and the Consumer Choice Awards.
“Our economy’s greatest strength lies not in what we import, but in what we create,” he said. “To build a truly self-reliant nation, we must transform both our thinking and our systems.”
The partnership was celebrated by participants and industry stakeholders as a timely innovation. Many noted that while previous initiatives focused heavily on access to markets and finance, few tackled the deeper, psychological factors that influence entrepreneurial success.
Louw said her collaboration with A Peculiar People is driven by a shared belief that true transformation starts within. “We are unlocking more than markets; we are unlocking minds,” she declared.