BY THEMBA ZWANE
SITEKI – Eli Olivia, a women-owned agri-business based at Mpolonjeni in Siteki, was crowned the overall winner at the 2026 Lubombo Entrepreneur of the Year Awards (EYA) held at Siteki Hotel on July 20.
The EYA Lubombo Regional ceremony saw women-owned businesses dominate the winners’ list, with five of the seven awards won by women-owned businesses. The overall winner, Eli Olivia, owned by Eli Olivia Khoza operates a cattle-farming business, with over 100 Cows for dairy and beef production. The business also does dry maize and bean production on 10 hectors of land. Reacting to the win, Khoza encouraged other women entrepreneurs to persevere in their work.
“I am very happy to have won. I believe this is a result of putting in the hard work. I wish to encourage other women to use their skills and their hands to sustain themselves. With that small land and limited water we have, we can do something meaningful,” she said.
Khoza also took home the Outstanding Agri-business award, taking home a total of E30 000 in prizes. Meanwhile, Efence Investments, a construction business based in Siteki, won the Outstanding Youth Owned Business award. Ncami’s Hand Design, a handcraft business also based in Siteki, took home the Outstanding Handicraft Award.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo, represented by Principal Secretary Ambassador Melusi Masuku, praised the participation of women-owned businesses. “Let me place Lubombo’s performance this year within that national picture. On this 20th anniversary edition, 87 applications, about a quarter of the national total, came from right here, the Lubombo region. And of those 87 applicants, 73 percent are women; well above this year’s national average of 64 percent. That is not a regional footnote. That is Lubombo leading the Kingdom on inclusive economic participation, and Government takes note of it,” he said.
Meanwhile, FNB Eswatini CEO Thokozani ‘TK’ Dlamini reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting SME development in Eswatini. “This is why we have continued to invest in the EYA, not only as a vehicle for recognising the outstanding work of our SMEs, but also as a powerful platform for bringing us closer to the people we serve. As we announced during the launch, this year, FNB Eswatini and the FNB Eswatini Foundation took this year’s sponsorship package to E2 million. One of the key motivations behind the increase was to ensure that our SMEs continue to find value in the EYA journey and that the prizes reflect the excellence of their work. I am therefore pleased to announce that the prizes for this year’s overall regional winners will be double those awarded last year. We believe these prizes will make a positive impact on the business operations of our overall winners because the ultimate shared goal is to see these businesses grow,” Dlamini said.
The regional-leg of 2026 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, supported by FNB Eswatini and the FNB Eswatini Foundation to the tune of E2 million, will now move to Hhohho (23 July), Manzini (27 July) and Shiselweni (3 August) regional ceremonies before the national ceremony whose date is yet to be confirmed.
EYA 2026 Lubombo Regional Winners:
Outstanding Regional Winner: Eli Olivia (E20 000)
Outstanding Youth Owned Business: Efence Investments (E10 000)
Outstanding Agri-business: Eli Olivia (E10 000)
Women-owned business: MBT Farmers Trade (E10 000)
Outstanding Handicraft business: Ncami’s Hand Design (E10 000)
Outstanding Street Vendor: The Pastry Deluxe Restaurant (E10 000)
Outstanding start-up: Jojo Grocery (E10 000)
#EYA #FNB #FinancialInstitution #Businesses #Farming #RegionalWinners
