BY SIBUSISEKILE NDLANGAMANDLA
MANZINI– Eswatini is strengthening coordination of youth-development initiatives through the National Youth Development Coordination Framework, with Youth Connekt Eswatini positioned to connect stakeholders and expand opportunities for young people.
Eswatini National Youth Council Chief Executive Officer Lwazi Mamba said youth-development interventions had historically operated in fragmented ways, resulting in overlapping mandates and duplicated efforts.
He said the coordination framework was designed to bring greater harmony, accountability and synergy to youth-development investments across different sectors. Youth Connekt Eswatini forms part of this approach, with its governance structure bringing together government structures and youth committees at national, regional and community levels.
The Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs provides policy oversight and chairs the National Steering Committee, while the Eswatini National Youth Council serves as the National Secretariat.
Implementation at grassroots level is expected to take place through Regional Youth Coordinating Committees and Tinkhundla Youth Committees. The framework identifies institutional strengthening and sustainability as one of its five strategic pillars, alongside access to opportunities, skills and employability, entrepreneurship and innovation, and civic participation and governance.
For young entrepreneurs, the coordination and networking approach could provide opportunities to access markets, partnerships and connections beyond Eswatini.
Ndaya Lukoji, founder and owner of Waffle Palace, said learning about Youth Connekt presented an opportunity for her business to connect with other young entrepreneurs across Africa.
Lukoji, whose business specialises in sweet and savoury waffles and has recently ventured into manufacturing under the EIA programme, said she was particularly interested in opportunities available beyond Eswatini.
“As I am in the manufacturing space now, I would like to connect with other youths around the continent and see what opportunities lie, not just within Eswatini, but also opportunities that exist outside of Eswatini,” she said. She said the initiative could support entrepreneurship, innovation and development while contributing towards efforts to reduce youth unemployment.
Mamba said the coordination approach was intended to ensure that Youth Connekt Eswatini was not an isolated project, but a national vehicle through which different stakeholders could contribute towards youth development.
The framework was developed through a consultative process, with nationwide stakeholder validation concluded on 18 June 2026. The initiative is expected to create stronger links between government, development partners, private enterprises and civil society organisations involved in youth-development work.
The official national launch of Youth Connekt Eswatini is expected in October 2026, following the stakeholder engagement process. The initiative will subsequently be presented at the Youth Connekt Africa Continental Summit in Rwanda in November 2026.
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