Statement on behalf of the United Nations Family in Eswatini at the Graduation Ceremony of the Smart Innovative Youth Technological Tunnel Project

Your Excellency, the Hon. Minister of Agriculture,

Standard Bank Chief Executive

Director of  the Woman Farmer Foundation

NAMBoard representative

UNESWA Faculty of Agriculture

UN Colleagues,

Distinguished Graduands, our young innovative farmers

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning!

On behalf of the United Nations Family in Eswatini, it is with a sense of pride, solidarity and honour that we are part of this graduation ceremony under the Smart Innovative Youth Technological Tunnel Project.

Let me start by apologizing on behalf of the Acting UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Amina Mohamed, who is also the representative of UNICEF, who would have loved to be with you today but unfortunately has another engagement.

This project is the brainchild of Ms. Sonia Paiva, the Director and Founder of the Woman Farmer Foundation. We salute her for turning her attention to the needs of young people. For many years, she dedicated herself to empowering women and significant strides have been made over the years.

I also want to recognize and salute our former UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Nathalie Ndongo-Seh as well as Standard Bank Chief Executive, Mr. Mvuselelo Fakudze, for not only believing in the vision but also making sure it is supported to succeed. They are the main reason we are here today.

I also want to recognize the role of Government, in particular the Ministry of Agriculture and NAMBoard, as well as the University of Eswatini, Faculty of Agriculture, for providing the technical support and expertise needed to empower these young people to excel in this project.

In September last year, Eswatini successfully participated in the Food Systems Summit which was a clear demonstration of Government’s commitment to creating pathways to achieving the SDGs. This project links perfectly with the country’s efforts to catalyze inclusive and sustainable performance of the agriculture and food industries in Eswatini.

We look forward to Eswatini’s participation in the upcoming FAO Regional Conference for Africa to be held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea in April 2022.  The conference is expected to put a spotlight on Four Betters: Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life for all, leaving no one behind. As you may recall, in 2014 African leaders signed the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods.

This project is indeed the first of its kind and has all the elements needed to help the country spring back from the devastating impacts of COVID-19 as well as the civil unrest.

With less than 8 years remaining to achieve Agenda 2030 of the SDGs, this is among the key projects to impact directly on the achievement of about 13 SDGs.

In the interest of time, I will not list all the SDGs involved. However, we know that  this project promotes innovation. This is SDG 9. This project seeks to ensure food security, which is SDG 2. The project also seeks to reduce poverty; which is SDG 1. It aims to provide decent work and employment for young people which is currently a big challenge in Eswatini and this is SDG 8. The project also promotes sustainable communities, which is SDG 11; Furthermore, this project responds to our greatest challenge, that is, climate change. This is SDG 13; I am told there are even more girls than boys in this project. This project is also about gender equality. This is SDG 5.

It is for these reasons that we are proud supporters and partners of this Smart Innovative Youth Technological Tunnel Project. We can only hope that the lessons learned from this pilot will be used to replicate the project across the country and involve more young people.

I take this opportunity to also rally behind the calls for the involvement of more partners in this project, including from the private sector as demonstrated by Standard Bank, our esteemed collaborators and partners in many development initiatives. We need more partners to take this good initiative to all parts of the country.

Agriculture is the backbone of the country’s economic recovery journey. The value of agricultural imports into the Kingdom continues to increase and was close to SZL 2 billion in 2020. This presents a huge opportunity for Emaswati, especially young people to get involved in agricultural production to substitute some of these imports.

It is therefore encouraging to witness the growth of such incredible innovative projects targeting young people, including women, and persons with disabilities and empowering them to earn sustainable incomes in their own communities by producing high value crops using climate-smart technologies.

With  47 percent youth unemployed and with 33 percent of our population at risk of being food insecure, this initiative has come at a pivotal time and will ensure that young people are not left behind in the country’s recovery from COVID-19.

Such investments in innovative technologies are welcome because they make agriculture appealing or as they say, “sexy” to young people. We need to entice more young women and men, as well as persons with disabilities, into agriculture.

It is without a doubt that the keen interest, dedication, and skills shown by the young people who are graduating today, have reaped a successful harvest. I am continuously refreshed, and my hopes re-ignited, when I am in the presence of the passionate young farmers before us. I would like to encourage you all to remain dedicated and resilient in your endeavors to farm, applying your skills and knowledge to continue making a difference in your own lives and those of all emaSwati.

In the great words of Theodore Roosevelt: “Believe you can, and you are halfway there.” Let us acknowledge just how far you have already come!

It is our every hope that this incredible Project will continue to change the lives of young emaSwati and can possibly continue to involve more young people across the country.

More importantly, I wish to share the biggest congratulations to our inspiring graduands of today: the sky is the limit and we are both grateful and proud to have had your participation in this Project. Well done!

I thank you.