NHLANGANO – Shiselweni folks have something to celebrate.
This comes after the Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Harries Bulunga officially opened a Shiselweni Entrepreneurship Incubation Hub which will serve as a centre for the region’s youth to fine-tune their business ideas while receiving training on key entrepreneurship skills.
The Incubation Hub is a result of a partnership between government, Junior Achievement and UNICEF. The Hub is located at the Eswatini National Youth Council (ENYC) offices in Nhlangano and is fitted with 100 computers and WiFi.
It has been gathered that the programme will see 100 youth at a time incubate their ideas and receive training over a 12-month period.
Further good news is that Minister Bulunga has also launched a JA and UNICEF powered Employment Online Application aimed at connecting young people with the labour market.
“This launch is yet another significant marker of His Majesty’s Government and our partners’ shared commitment to capacitating our young people to be able to fully partake in the economy while achieving decent & sustainable high-quality lives,” the minister stated.
He continued: “These programmes embody the kind of holistic thinking that we should all adopt as we work to address youth issues in the country. While we strengthen funding opportunities, we should give similar attention to capacity building and market linkages programmes.”
UNICEF Representative Natalie Daries said the project underlines UNICEF’s interest in the holistic development of the child, beyond adolescents’ age and also to support young people.
“UNICEF pledges continued support in uplifting our adolescents and young people through skills investments,” she said.
Meanwhile, JA Executive Director Phetsile Masilela promised that the Incubation Centre will ensure that the participants go through training for three months and mentorship for six months while accessing computers plus Internet services. Youth Representative Mpilwenhle Nhlabatsi said: “We thank UNICEF, JA and Government for this programme. We believe through it our dreams will come true. Already, we have learnt a lot including how to write a well-presented business plan as well as good marketing skills.”
