BY SIBUSISEKILE NDLANGAMANDLA
MANZINI– Young EmaSwati have been challenged to take their entrepreneurial ambitions beyond impressive ideas and business plans by building real, sustainable enterprises capable of creating jobs and contributing to the country’s economy.
Acting Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Savannah Maziya says Eswatini’s next generation of entrepreneurs should increasingly see themselves not only as job seekers, but as potential employers and problem-solvers capable of building businesses around challenges facing their communities.
Maziya said sustainable economic growth could not depend solely on attracting outside investment. Developing strong home-grown businesses, particularly those led by young people, was equally important.
She said entrepreneurship created value, opened employment opportunities and gave young people a meaningful stake in economic development.
For Maziya, however, having a promising idea is only the beginning.
“A promising idea should become a tested solution. A tested solution should become a registered enterprise. A registered enterprise should become a growing business. And a growing business should become a creator of jobs and opportunities,” she said.
Her message places emphasis on one of the biggest hurdles facing aspiring entrepreneurs — moving from talking about a business to actually building one.
Maziya said that journey required more than enthusiasm. Young entrepreneurs needed mentorship, access to markets and finance, strong business discipline and, importantly, the ability to execute their ideas.
She said Government was increasingly focusing not only on encouraging people to generate business concepts, but also on creating an environment in which promising enterprises could grow and become sustainable.
“The true success of entrepreneurship is not measured by the number of business plans written, but by the number of sustainable enterprises created and the number of jobs that those enterprises can create,” she said.
The approach is aligned with the National Development Plan 2023–2028, which provides a framework for economic recovery, inclusive growth, sustainable livelihoods and broader participation in productive economic activity.
Maziya also pointed to the National MSME Policy 2024–2029, which recognises micro, small and medium enterprises as important contributors to economic growth, innovation and employment creation.
She said initiatives such as Enactus were helping translate these national ambitions into practical experience for young people.
Through Enactus, participants are exposed to identifying problems, developing business models, pitching ideas, working in teams and using innovation and entrepreneurship to respond to practical community and market needs.
“What we see here today is therefore policy in action,” Maziya said, noting that the projects presented by young people demonstrated how entrepreneurship could be used to develop practical responses to everyday challenges.
But she stressed that young entrepreneurs could not be expected to make the journey alone.
Maziya called for stronger cooperation between Government, businesses, educational institutions and development partners to ensure promising entrepreneurs receive the support necessary to survive, grow and eventually employ others.
“The employment challenge facing our country cannot be solved by one institution acting alone. Government cannot do it alone. The private sector cannot do it alone. Education institutions cannot do it alone,” she said.
The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade would therefore continue helping connect Enactus teams with enterprise-support agencies, business networks, industry bodies, incubation platforms and market opportunities.
For young people and graduates, Maziya’s message was equally clear: identify problems worth solving, be ambitious enough to develop solutions and have the discipline to turn those solutions into functioning businesses.
She urged young entrepreneurs to remain focused on execution and delivery rather than allowing promising ideas to remain on paper.
“This country needs you to be able to participate in its growth,” Maziya said.
The challenge presents entrepreneurship as more than an alternative to formal employment. It places young people at the centre of building enterprises that can generate income, solve problems and ultimately create opportunities for other EmaSwati.
(Courtesy Pic)
