Madam,
On Wednesday, some quarters joined the rest of the world in commemorating International Youth Day 2026, a day dedicated to recognising the contribution, potential and aspirations of young people. It is certainly important to celebrate our youth, acknowledge their talents and remind them that they are an important part of our country’s future. However, beyond the speeches, colourful events and inspiring messages, we must ask a difficult but necessary question: What are we actually doing to create a better future for our young people?
Our youth deserve better opportunities. They deserve access to decent jobs, quality education, practical skills, entrepreneurship opportunities and an economy capable of absorbing them after they graduate. For many young people, however, graduation is not the beginning of a career but the beginning of another struggle, searching endlessly for employment.
One cannot help but ask: Out of all the graduates produced by our universities and colleges, how many are currently employed? How many are working in positions that match their qualifications? How many have been forced to accept jobs unrelated to their studies simply because there are no opportunities in their chosen fields?
These questions become even more important against the backdrop of high unemployment, particularly among young people. We cannot continue telling young people that they are the leaders of tomorrow while tomorrow remains uncertain because they cannot find opportunities today.
There is also a danger that International Youth Day becomes an annual event characterised by speeches, conferences and celebrations, only for everything to return to normal once the day has passed. Young people do not need another celebration that produces photographs and speeches but little measurable change. They need results.
Government, the private sector, educational institutions and other stakeholders must work together to create an economy where young people can find meaningful opportunities. Employment creation must be treated as an urgent national priority rather than something discussed only during special occasions.
There is a need to expand internships, apprenticeships and graduate placement programmes so that young people can gain practical experience while waiting for permanent employment. Many employers demand experience from graduates who have never been given an opportunity to gain that experience. This creates a frustrating cycle where young people cannot get jobs because they lack experience and cannot gain experience because they cannot get jobs.
Entrepreneurship must also be strengthened. While not every young person will become an entrepreneur, those with viable business ideas should be given access to affordable finance, mentorship, markets and appropriate training. It is not enough to tell young people to ‘start businesses’ when many cannot access capital or navigate the regulatory requirements involved in establishing and sustaining a business.
We must also ensure that the skills being produced by our education system correspond with the needs of the economy.
There is little value in producing thousands of graduates every year if the economy does not have sufficient opportunities to absorb them. We need stronger partnerships between educational institutions and industry so that young people leave college and university with skills that are relevant to the changing labour market. Most importantly, we need accountability. International Youth Day should provide an opportunity to measure what has actually been achieved for young people over the previous year. How many jobs were created? How many graduates found employment? How many youth-owned businesses were established and remain operational? How many young people received meaningful training? How much investment was directed towards youth development?
These are the figures that should matter.
Our young people are not simply beneficiaries of development. They are workers, innovators, entrepreneurs, professionals and future leaders. Given the right opportunities, they can contribute significantly to economic growth and national development.
Let International Youth Day 2026, therefore, be more than a celebration. Let it be a renewed commitment to creating measurable opportunities for the young people of Eswatini.
When we gather again to celebrate International Youth Day next year, we should not only have speeches to share. We should have jobs created, businesses established, skills developed and young lives transformed.
The youth deserve better and they deserve results, not just promises.
Lihlelemaswati Dlamini
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