Africa-Press – Eswatini. MTN Eswatini has supported JA, SEDCO, YERF and Young Heroes – organisations described as to have augmented the MTN Foundation’s dream of empowering young people in Eswatini in various programs.
The telecommunications company supported the said organisations with a total investment of E950 000, which will be shared as follows: Junior Achievement (JA) -E200 000, Youth Enterprises Revolving Fund (YERF) – E200 000, Young Heroes – E300 000 and Small Enterprises Development Company (SEDCO) – E250 000.
These companies are involved in projects which include providing scholarships for vulnerable youth in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), providing entrepreneurship training and providing loans for young people to start and grow their businesses.
MTN Foundation Board Chairperson Busisiwe Simelane said it was the foundation’s responsibility to ensure that the youth gets the necessary support to thrive.
Contribution
“It is also our contribution to the country’s economic recovery process to support the development of young people and youth entrepreneurs who will contribute to the acceleration of economic activities going forward,” said Simelane. She mentioned that the foundation would be continuing to come up with initiatives that would empower and grow young people’s businesses. Simelane stated that this was part of their contribution to addressing the challenge of youth unemployment and stimulation of economic recovery. She said they strongly believed that these programmes would fuel Eswatini’s entrepreneurship by enabling young and smart entrepreneurs to kickoff with their projects or businesses.
Organisations
The chairperson mentioned that the different programmes that they have been running over the years with these organisations have seen so many young people benefitting and thriving. “This is evidence that these programmes are here to change the lives of our young entrepreneurs. As indicated in the Bible, ‘Two are better than one’. MTN Foundation has learnt this nugget of wisdom firsthand,” said Simelane. Speaking on behalf of the organisations, SEDCO Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Khethiwe Mhlanga said they have been seeing the growth in the different businesses they had supported in the past. Mhlanga said the businesses that were opened by the young people had a great impact on the economy as jobs were created and lives were improved as well. “We know that SMEs are the ones driving the economy,” she said.
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