{"id":73357,"date":"2025-07-15T08:33:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T08:33:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/lubombo-region-entrepreneurs-applauded-at-eya-awards"},"modified":"2025-07-15T08:41:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T08:41:32","slug":"lubombo-region-entrepreneurs-applauded-at-eya-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/lubombo-region-entrepreneurs-applauded-at-eya-awards","title":{"rendered":"LUBOMBO REGION ENTREPRENEURS APPLAUDED AT EYA AWARDS"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Eswatini. <\/strong><\/span><b>The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade has honoured outstanding businesses in the Lubombo Region through the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Awards (EYA), recognising their dedication, innovation, and contribution to Eswatini\u2019s economy.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Speaking at the regional awards ceremony, the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Hon. Manqoba Khumalo, applauded all participants for their relentless efforts and entrepreneurial spirit, which he said plays a crucial role in building a resilient and inclusive national economy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Entrepreneur of the Year Awards is more than just a competition, it is a celebration of indigenous innovation and business excellence,\u201d said Minister Khumalo. \u201cThese awards recognise entrepreneurs who operate responsibly, create jobs, and adopt climate smart and innovative business models. Their contribution is invaluable to the growth and sustainability of our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The EYA programme is a flagship initiative under the Ministry, designed to highlight and reward local entrepreneurs across sectors. It also aligns with the Ministry\u2019s broader strategy to empower micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly through the newly launched MSME Policy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe MSME Policy aims to promote job creation and inclusive economic development by transforming informal businesses into structured and competitive entities that can thrive both locally and globally,\u201d the Minister added. \u201cThe EYA serves as a tool to identify and support those businesses that are already showing strong potential.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s Lubombo Regional EYA winners were recognised across various categories, showcasing a wide range of talent and enterprise.<\/p>\n<p><b>The winners are:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Regional Outstanding Street Vendor: Sebengetekile<\/p>\n<p>Regional Outstanding Handicraft Business: Ncami\u2019s Handicraft Design<\/p>\n<p>Regional Outstanding Youth-Owned Business: Grow Pure Farm Products<\/p>\n<p>Regional Outstanding Women-Owned Business: Nomfundo\u2019s Fresh Produce<\/p>\n<p>Regional Outstanding Agribusiness: DJD Investments (Pty) Ltd T\/A DJD Pork<\/p>\n<p>Regional Outstanding Start-Up: DJ Lolo Farms<\/p>\n<p>The coveted title of Overall Lubombo Regional Winner was awarded to DJD Investments (Pty) Ltd T\/A DJD Pork, a shining example of agribusiness excellence and innovation in the region.<\/p>\n<p>Minister Khumalo encouraged all participating entrepreneurs to take pride in their journey, emphasising that EYA is not just about recognition but also about capacity building, exposure, and access to broader opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>The Ministry extended its warmest congratulations to all the winners and commended every participant for their role in driving the Lubombo region forward through entrepreneurship. The EYA continues to serve as a vital platform for recognising excellence while inspiring more aspiring entrepreneurs to formalise and grow their ventures.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Eswatini<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Eswatini. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade has honoured outstanding businesses in the Lubombo Region through the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Awards (EYA), recognising their dedication, innovation, and contribution to Eswatini\u2019s economy. Speaking at the regional awards ceremony, the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Hon. Manqoba Khumalo, applauded all participants [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":73356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5,7],"tags":[249],"class_list":["post-73357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","category-head-lines","tag-eswatini"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>LUBOMBO REGION ENTREPRENEURS APPLAUDED AT EYA AWARDS - Eswatini<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade has honoured outstanding businesses in the Lubombo Region through the pr ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/lubombo-region-entrepreneurs-applauded-at-eya-awards\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LUBOMBO REGION ENTREPRENEURS APPLAUDED AT EYA AWARDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade has honoured outstanding businesses in the Lubombo Region through the pr ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/lubombo-region-entrepreneurs-applauded-at-eya-awards\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Eswatini\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-15T08:33:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-15T08:41:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/07\/sm_1752556162.568643.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/lubombo-region-entrepreneurs-applauded-at-eya-awards#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/lubombo-region-entrepreneurs-applauded-at-eya-awards\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"LUBOMBO REGION ENTREPRENEURS APPLAUDED AT EYA AWARDS\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-15T08:33:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-15T08:41:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/lubombo-region-entrepreneurs-applauded-at-eya-awards\"},\"wordCount\":418,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/lubombo-region-entrepreneurs-applauded-at-eya-awards#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/07\/sm_1752556162.568643.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Eswatini\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\",\"head lines\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/lubombo-region-entrepreneurs-applauded-at-eya-awards#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/lubombo-region-entrepreneurs-applauded-at-eya-awards\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/lubombo-region-entrepreneurs-applauded-at-eya-awards\",\"name\":\"LUBOMBO REGION ENTREPRENEURS APPLAUDED AT EYA AWARDS - 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