AFDB President Akinwumi Honoured at Traditional Ceremony in Swaziland

The King of Eswatini and Head of the Swazi Royal Family, King Mswati III, honoured the President of the African Development Bank (AFDB), Akinwumi Adesina, at a traditional royal reed dance event in Swaziland on 6th September, 2019.

The annual weeklong ceremony is a traditional dance event where up to 40 000 Swazi maidens gather and dance for the Queen Mother.

This Swazi cultural event is performed as a tribute to the Royal Family and dates back centuries in time.

Swaziland is a small, landlocked monarchy in Southern Africa.

Mr. Adesina is the first Nigerian to be honoured by the head of the Swaziland royalty.

The former Minister of Agriculture shared the news on his official social media on Saturday alongside photographs from the ceremony. “King Mswati III of Eswatini (Swaziland) gave me the greatest honour ever: to be dressed like the king and jointly march during the traditional royal reed dance event.”