By Phiwa Sikhondze
Junior Achievement Eswatini and ENACTUS yesterday launched the Canadian partnership, a project that aims to strengthen the capacity of 2,197 young people in Eswatini to use business solutions for positive social and environmental impact.
The launch took place at the Mountain View Hotel in Mbabane.
The project is a collaboration between Junior Achievement Eswatini (JA) and ENACTUS, two organizations that work on youth empowerment through entrepreneurship education.
The project received a grant of CAD $39,955.68 from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), which is a program within the Canadian Embassy in Mozambique that supports small-scale, high-impact projects in developing countries.
Phetsile Masilela, the Executive Director of JA Eswatini unpacked the project, stating that it will target 1,500 high school students, 697 tertiary students, and out-of-school youth in all four regions of the country.
She disclosed that the project has two main objectives: to enhance entrepreneurship skills for the target groups through training and school visits and to accelerate five teams in tertiary institutions and 15 out-of-school youth into businesses through seed capital provision. The project will also link the young entrepreneurs to financiers and markets.
Masilela expressed gratitude for the support and mentioned that this kind of support will go a long way toward empowering the youth of Eswatini.
“As JA Eswatini and ENACTUS, we greatly appreciate the support that we have received from all partners and stakeholders in implementing our mandate on youth empowerment. We also appreciate the government which has consistently supported us over the years. This is the first project that we have secured to implement together as partners,” Masilela said.
The Ministry of Education’s Schools Manager Lungelo Nhlengetfwa pledged continued support to such initiatives by the organizations.
“As a government, we are particularly supportive of such initiatives as we have continued giving subvention to JA Eswatini and ENACTUS over the years where such subventions go towards ensuring programs for the youth run by these organizations are sustained,” he said.
The Country Director of ENACTUS Eswatini, Nqobile Dludlu, speaking on behalf of the sponsor shared how the project will benefit the young people of Eswatini. She noted that the support was actually driven by the outcry over youth unemployment in the country.
As a result, she promised that the partnership would leave an unforgettable mark in that regard. She added that the project aligns with the country’s vision of transforming Eswatini into a digital economy that is inclusive and sustainable.
The project is expected to have long-term results such as creating self-employment opportunities for the youth who have completed tertiary education or are out of school, and enabling them to provide basic needs for their families and contribute to social and environmental change in their communities. The launch event was attended by relevant stakeholders such as the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Trade, the Ministry of Education and Training, JAE and ENACTUS board of directors, CEOs and industry captains, sponsors, and media houses. The event also featured representatives from the target beneficiaries.