Renowned Zimbabwean public speaker, author and Pan-African thinker Joshua Maponga has challenged Eswatini’s business community to rediscover the original purpose behind their enterprises,
cautioning that many organisations have gradually abandoned the very vision that inspired their establishment.
Delivering the keynote address at the Business Eswatini Ignite Eswatini Gala Dinner on Thursday, Maponga urged entrepreneurs, executives and company founders to shift their focus from merely pursuing profits to building businesses rooted in purpose,
innovation and lasting impact. Speaking under the theme “Sow or Starve: Reimagining the African Entrepreneur as a Farmer of Thought, 
” Maponga encouraged business leaders to revisit the foundational ideas that gave birth to their companies and to ensure that every decision remains aligned with those principles.
He argued that while growth and commercial success are important, businesses that lose sight of their mission often sacrifice long-term value in exchange for short-term gains.
“Many organisations have lost the passion,” Maponga said. “Why did you start that company? What is it that you wanted to do? And if I walk up to you right now, are you still doing that very thing that you said you wanted to do?”
According to Maponga, many businesses begin with a clear purpose but gradually drift into activities that have little to do with their original vision.
He observed that as companies grow, expanding operations, increasing competition and the pressure to remain visible in the marketplace often tempt business owners to chase trends rather than remain committed to the work that initially set them apart.
“Some of us, because of marketing, have become printing houses of banners. That’s not your core business,” he said.
“Go back to fundamental business. Your huge budget is now going for marketing.
Marketing what? We didn’t come here to print photocopies and run adverts. We came here to do this thing.
And what is that thing? What is your passion which established your business?”
He stressed that successful enterprises are built not only on financial capital but also on clarity of purpose, warning that organisations which continually redefine themselves to follow market trends risk losing the identity that once made them relevant.
Maponga urged entrepreneurs to periodically pause and evaluate whether their businesses are still fulfilling the purpose for which they were created.
“You might have lost your first love and you might end up doing other things that you’re not called for,” he said.
Throughout his address, Maponga emphasised that genuine entrepreneurship begins long before products are sold or profits are made.
Instead, he said, lasting success is first cultivated in the mind through vision, creativity and disciplined thinking.
Using the analogy of a farmer, he described entrepreneurs as “farmers of thought” whose responsibility is to plant ideas, nurture innovation and harvest solutions that improve communities and economies.
He encouraged business leaders to recognise that every successful enterprise is first conceived as an idea before becoming a thriving organisation.
Maponga also challenged delegates to rethink how they define leadership and personal success.
Rather than placing value on prestigious job titles or corporate positions, he said leaders should be recognised by the actions they consistently perform and the positive impact they create.
“Don’t specialise in your nouns. Specialise in your verbs,” he said. “People shouldn’t know you because you’re the CEO.
They should know you because you lead. Don’t tell people you’re a teacher. Teach. Don’t say you’re a director. Direct.”
He argued that leadership is demonstrated through consistent action rather than titles printed on business cards.
Maponga further challenged Eswatini’s private sector to become a driving force behind national transformation by cultivating innovation, original thinking and purpose-driven leadership.
He said organisations that remain anchored in their founding vision are more likely to inspire employees, adapt to changing environments and create sustainable businesses capable of lasting for generations.
According to him, Africa’s greatest opportunity lies not in copying business models from elsewhere but in developing solutions that respond directly to the continent’s unique realities and opportunities.
He encouraged entrepreneurs to become creators of ideas rather than consumers of other people’s thinking, saying innovation begins with asking better questions and remaining committed to solving meaningful problems.
