A Peculiar People (APP), in collaboration with the Youth Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Eswatini (YCCIE), is set to formalize a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating youth-led entrepreneurship and domestic production through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony scheduled for Monday, January 12, 2026.
The MoU signing, which will be accompanied by a press briefing at the American Corner at the Mbabane Library, marks a significant milestone in the institutionalization of the Made in Eswatini (MIE) initiative, a flagship movement curated by APP to inspire consumers, buyers, and policymakers to prioritize locally produced goods and services.
The upcoming engagement builds on momentum generated during the Unlock Made in Eswatini event hosted at the United Nations House in late 2025, where APP presented its 2026-2028 Strategic Compass, themed “Fuelling the Next Generation of Job Creators,” to key national and international stakeholders.
That engagement positioned Made in Eswatini not merely as a campaign but as a structured economic platform aimed at tackling youth unemployment, import dependency, and limited market access for local enterprises.
Through the MoU, APP and YCCIE commit to working jointly to advance youth entrepreneurship, innovation, domestic production, and structured market access. The partnership seeks to unlock practical pathways for young entrepreneurs to participate meaningfully in Eswatini’s economy by reframing the country’s import statistics as high-potential market opportunities for local production and youth enterprise development.
Beyond the formal signing, the press briefing will also serve as a platform for major announcements that signal the next phase of the Made in Eswatini movement. These include the confirmation of the City of Mbabane as the official Host City for the annual Made in Eswatini Consumer Fair from 2026 to 2028, alongside programs designed to stimulate youth-led innovation within urban economic ecosystems.
Key support initiatives by the United States Embassy in Eswatini, particularly those targeting the next generation of business leaders, are also expected to be highlighted, reinforcing the role of strategic partnerships in strengthening enterprise development and competitiveness.
A major highlight of the briefing will be the announcement of partnerships with selected youth-led enterprises for the Made in Eswatini Consumer Fair 2026, a move aimed at boosting youth confidence, visibility, and participation in formal markets.
In addition, the event will officially mark the commencement of the Made in Eswatini Mark of Origin Licensing Programme, which will certify the authenticity of locally produced goods and services and enable consumers to easily identify and trust Eswatini-made products.
As Eswatini continues to grapple with high youth unemployment and a heavy reliance on imports, the MoU signing is expected to send a strong policy and market signal, calling on young people to innovate, produce, and competitively substitute imported products with high-quality local alternatives.