BY GCWALISILE MHLABANE
MANZINI – Thirty young Emaswati entrepreneurs are set to be empowered with business development skills, mentorship and networking opportunities through a five-day accelerator programme aimed at strengthening their enterprises and preparing them for growth.
The Youth Business Accelerator (YBA) Eswatini 2026, organised by Tholulwazi Hub, will run from October 12 to 16 at American Spaces, Mbabane Library. It targets entrepreneurs aged between 16 and 35, equipping them with practical knowledge and guidance to build sustainable businesses.
The programme will culminate in a pitch competition and graduation ceremony on Friday, October 16, 2026,, where participants will present their businesses to panels of judges and compete for business grant funding.
Tholulwazi Hub Director Samkelisiwe Ndlangamandla encouraged the entrepreneurs to look beyond the local market and explore opportunities in international trade.
“Entrepreneurs should not focus only on becoming local business champions but should also look into global markets and international trade,” said Ndlangamandla.
She also urged participants to take advantage of initiatives such as the YBA to strengthen their business capabilities and identify new opportunities.
The programme is delivered in partnership with Arizona State University’s J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, the United States Embassy in Eswatini and Opemia Consulting. It aims to develop youth-led enterprises that can create employment and contribute to the country’s economic growth.
Through practical training and mentorship, the accelerator seeks to address challenges faced by young entrepreneurs who often lack access to business development skills and professional networks.
The programme will end with a pitch competition in which participants will present their ventures to judges in a bid to secure funding. Three judges will sit in each judging room, assessing presentations using a pitch rubric shared with both participants and judges.
The competition will form part of the graduation ceremony, marking the conclusion of the five-day programme.
The ceremony will also feature established entrepreneurs sharing their experiences of building businesses. They include strawberry farmer Sibusiso Mncina; Mpendulo, who operates a confectionery business; Khokho Shabangu-Hlophe, who runs a cleaning company; and Bertha Sithole, chairperson of the U.S. Alumni Exchange Association, who also operates a marketing business.
Their experiences will expose participants to practical lessons from different industries and the realities of entrepreneurship.
By combining business training, mentorship and the opportunity to compete for grant funding, the YBA aims to equip young Emaswati with the tools and connections to develop sustainable enterprises and contribute to the country’s economic development.
