Foreign Minister Lin meets baby 'Taiwan' in Eswatini, boosts fund for women

Taipei, April 24 (CNA) Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Wednesday met an Eswatini baby girl named "Taiwan," during a visit to the African country, and he pledged an additional US$500,000 in funding for female entrepreneurs there.

On the second day of his visit to the African kingdom, which is a diplomatic ally of Taiwan, Lin first met with Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Dlamini, according to a press release issued Thursday by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) .

Lin thanked the prime minister for his country's support of Taiwan during last year's United Nations General Assembly, the MOFA press release said.

Lin then joined Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla at a ceremony to highlight the progress of the Women's Start-up Microfinance Revolving Fund, which is financed by the Taiwan government.

The US$1 million fund was established in Eswatini in January 2024 to provide financial assistance to aspiring women entrepreneurs, foster sustainable growth, and empower women to drive change in their communities.

Since then, more than 500 women in the African country have been empowered through the fund, which was initiated by Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ntombi Tfwala of Eswatini, according to MOFA.

On the Facebook page of Eswatini's deputy prime minister's office, Dladla was quoted as saying that through the program, Eswatini women who once struggled to make ends meet are now proud business owners.

The fund has become "a beacon of hope and a symbol of progress," opening doors that had long been closed to many Eswatini women "due to limited financial access and economic marginalization," Dladla was quoted as saying, as she expressed sincere gratitude to Taiwan for funding the program.

At Wednesday's ceremony, Lin lauded the success of the program and pledged an additional US$500,000 to expand it in an effort to further support the economic empowerment of Eswatini women.

He also praised the borrowers, saying that almost 100 percent of them had been making their payments on time. According to one of his Facebook posts, 30 of the 500-plus loans had been paid off early.

On Wednesday, Lin was introduced to Nomfundo Mabuza from Eswatini's Lubombo Region, one of the first recipients of the Taiwan-funded loans, and he met her baby girl named "Taiwan."

Lin presented the child with a gift of a leopard cat shaped pillow that featured the critically endangered endemic species in Taiwan, according to one of his Facebook posts.

In March 2024, Mabuza received a loan of 20,000 Eswatini dollars (US$1,150) from the women's startup fund, which she used to buy high-quality corn and vegetable seeds, according to TaiwanICDF, the government-funded agency in charge of foreign aid.

After harvesting her corn and vegetables, Mabuza sold them for more than 50,000 Eswatini dollars, and by September 2024, she had repaid the loan in full, TaiwanICDF said.

When Mabuza gave birth to a baby girl in March this year, she named the child "Taiwan," in recognition of the "life-changing" support she had received through the Taiwan-funded loan, according to the agency.

Lin's current visit to Eswatini, Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Africa, is his first in his capacity as foreign minister. The main purpose of the visit is to attend King Mswati III's 57th birthday celebrations on behalf of President Lai Ching-te (賴清德).

In March, Eswatini Home Affairs Minister Princess Lindiwe said that the main celebrations of King Mswati III's 57th birthday would be held on April 25 in the kingdom's Shiselweni Region.

Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China, established formal diplomatic ties with the Kingdom of Eswatini on Sept. 6, 1968, when the landlocked nation in southern Africa gained full independence from the United Kingdom.

Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is the last absolute monarchy in Africa and the only country on the continent that formally recognizes Taiwan.