BY THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE- Government has called for young people’s participation in national development to go beyond simply inviting them to discussions, saying their voices must influence decisions, programmes and policies while producing measurable results.
The call was made by Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Bongani Nzima, whose remarks were delivered on his behalf by Under Secretary (US) Mzwandile Mthethwa during the launch of the second cohort of the Eswatini–European Union (EU) Youth Sounding Board at Mountain View, Mbabane, on Monday.
The minister said meaningful youth participation required young people to play a direct role in shaping the decisions that affect their lives.
“Meaningful youth participation requires more than inviting young people to discussions. Their voices must influence decisions, programmes and policies and lead to measurable results,” he said.
The second cohort comprises 15 young Emaswati who will serve as a platform for youth engagement with the EU Delegation, contributing to the design, implementation and monitoring of programmes affecting young people.
Nzima commended the EU for its continued commitment to meaningful youth participation, noting that young people should be regarded not only as beneficiaries of development, but also as partners in shaping it.
He further called for stronger collaboration between the Youth Sounding Board, the Eswatini National Youth Council (ENYC) and other youth structures.
Government, he said, did not want youth platforms to operate in isolation, but rather wanted them connected so that youth priorities, recommendations and experiences could feed into the broader national youth-development agenda.
“We should not create isolated platforms, but rather connect our efforts so that youth priorities, recommendations and experiences contribute to the broader youth-development agenda,” said Nzima.
The minister said the EU–Eswatini partnership was important in creating opportunities for young people, particularly in skills development, employment, empowerment, social inclusion and participation.
He pointed to the EU’s Youth Action Plan, which is centred on Engage, Empower and Connect, as a useful framework for advancing youth development.
Nzima encouraged the new cohort to bring forward not only the challenges facing young people, but also the solutions they are developing.
He urged the members to listen to young people whose voices are often not heard and ensure that the diversity of Eswatini’s youth is reflected in their work.
According to the minister, the effectiveness of the Youth Sounding Board should not be judged by the number of meetings it holds, but by the quality of its recommendations, the extent to which young people’s perspectives influence decisions and the tangible results that emerge.
“Let us therefore move from dialogue to action, and from participation to impact,” he said.
Nzima congratulated the 15 members of the second cohort, describing their appointment as both an honour and a responsibility.
He urged them to regard their appointment as a call to service and to ensure that their contribution makes a difference to young people and strengthens the EU–Eswatini partnership.
Government, he said, remained committed to creating an enabling environment for young people to realise their potential and to strengthening partnerships that place youth at the centre of development.
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