Eswatini’s entrepreneurial landscape is set to receive a boost with the launch of the Youth Business Accelerator (YBA), an initiative aimed at empowering young entrepreneurs. The program, designed to equip aspiring business owners with essential skills, knowledge, and mentorship, kicked off with the involvement of U.S. business experts Khandle Hedrick from Arizona State University and Jai Marie, founder of @girlgetyourbodyfit.
The YBA is the brainchild of Samkelisiwe Ndlangamandla Pitsie, a 2024 Mandela Washington Fellow, who won a Reciprocal Exchange Project award to bring this program to life in Eswatini. Ndlangamandla met the U.S. experts during her fellowship in the United States and was inspired to collaborate with them to launch the accelerator in her home country.
Over the coming weeks, the program will guide aspiring entrepreneurs through a process of business planning and vision development. The initiative’s first cohort will benefit from a range of no-cost courses offered by Arizona State University, including Dreambuilder and 100 Million Learners, which are designed to help entrepreneurs and trainers enhance their skills. 
