BY LINDELWA MYENI
MBABANE– The MTN PachiPanda Challenge is set to give young innovators more than just a platform to showcase their ideas, with participants to receive education, entrepreneurship training and enterprise development support to help turn their concepts into viable businesses.
This is where Likusasa Letfu Founder and Programme Director Yael Uzan-Tidhar sees an important role for the MTN PachiPanda Challenge, saying the programme will bring together education, entrepreneurship, enterprise development and an enabling environment to help young innovators move their ideas towards reality.
Speaking during the launch of the challenge at Happy Valley Hotel, Uzan-Tidhar said participants would go through different phases designed to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to develop their ideas.
Under the education component, she said young innovators would have access to MTF online courses, which provide learning opportunities from market, local and global experts.
She said the programme would also focus on entrepreneurship skills, including teamwork, creative thinking and the use of technology and digital tools in developing enterprises.
Uzan-Tidhar said the enterprise development component would then help participants take their ideas beyond the conceptual stage and towards actual businesses.
She said this would be supported through an enabling environment created through collaboration with government, the private sector, parastatals and individuals within communities.
“We all together are going to support young innovative entrepreneurs and enable the next generation to drive economic and social change in this country,” said Uzan-Tidhar.
She said the approach was intended to ensure that young people were not only equipped with ideas, but also with the practical skills and support required to develop them into sustainable enterprises.
The initiative reflects Likusasa Letfu’s focus on education, skills development and entrepreneurship support for young people in Eswatini. The organisation describes its mission as equipping young people with practical skills and opportunities that can improve their employability and enable them to contribute to their communities.
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