The inaugural Youth Trade Expo, slated for December 13, 2025 at the Prince of Wales, is poised to become Eswatini’s premier platform for stimulating youth entrepreneurship and driving direct investment into early-stage start-up ventures.
Organised by the Mbabane East youth inkhundla co-operative, this high-impact commercial event is strategically designed to address market access gaps and connect young founders with crucial capital and mentorship.
Opportunity knocks
The expo’s central objective is to transition young entrepreneurs from the ideation stage to market-validated, scalable businesses.
With youth comprising the largest segment of Eswatini’s population, investment in this demographic is recognised by both public and private sector partners, including the municipality, as a direct investment in the nation’s long-term economic resilience and innovation capacity.
“The Youth Trade Expo is not merely a showcase; it is a deal-making environment,” stated Tsidiswa Mhlanga, Treasurer of the Mbabane East youth inkhundla co-operative. “We are bringing together emerging entrepreneurs who have leveraged the co-operative model to de-risk their initial phases, making them compelling prospects for investors looking for early-entry advantage in a rapidly growing market.” Mhlanga is an Eswatini Youth Advocate and a final-year university student dedicated to youth empowerment and economic development.
With 12 years of experience, she focuses on ensuring young people are represented and valued in decision-making spaces. A recipient of the Embassy of Change Scholarship, her work highlights the potential of youth-led solutions for national stability and global visibility.
What the expo offers investors
Young entrepreneurs, whether they operate small emerging ventures or established growing businesses, will come together to trade, network, learn and showcase their innovations.
The support from both public and private sector partners, including the local municipality as one of our main supporters, highlights the importance of youth participation in economic development.
The Youth Trade Expo will:
- Provide market access for young traders, helping them move from idea to income.
- Create networking opportunities with businesses, investors and development partners.
- Expose youth to mentorship, resources and training that can accelerate their entrepreneurial growth.
- Strengthen community collaboration between government, the private sector and youth groups.
- Ultimately, this expo symbolises a shift – a recognition that young people are not waiting to be included.
- We are creating our own platforms, inviting others to walk with us and building the future with our own hands.
With the youth making up the majority of Eswatini’s population, they have the ability to thrive, directly shapes the nation’s economic stability, social progress and global image.
By strategically focusing on youth employability, entrepreneurship and community-based initiatives, Eswatini stands to gain the following:
- Increased economic productivity through empowered young entrepreneurs.
- Sustainable community development driven by youth-led solutions.
- Reduced unemployment as young people create and access diverse opportunities.
A more innovative and resilient national economy, fuelled by fresh perspectives and bold ideas.
When young people thrive, Eswatini thrives.
The success of the Youth Trade Expo relies on robust private sector participation. Businesses are urged to attend to explore supply chain diversification opportunities, identify potential acquisition targets and fulfil corporate social responsibility (CSR) objectives through active investment and partnership.
Key areas for engagement
- Direct investment: Providing seed funding or growth capital to promising ventures.
- Procurement contracts: Signing trading agreements that provide young businesses with stable, initial revenue streams.
- In-kind support: Offering business services, technology resources or mentorship programmes to accelerate start-up maturity.
“We are inviting the corporate community to move beyond passive support and become active stakeholders in our economic future,” added Mhlanga. “This is an opportunity to fuel innovation, drive competition and build a resilient supply chain anchored in Eswatini.”
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