Mbabane – Minister for Health Honourable Mduduzi Matsebula MP has called for sustained investment in sexual and reproductive health as a key driver to unlock the demographic dividend in Eswatini and the wider East Central and Southern Africa region.
Matsebula was speaking at the ECSA HC Regional Youth Summit 2026 held at Happy Valley Hotel in Mbabane on Thursday. He said the region is at a critical point in its demographic transition, characterised by a rapidly growing youth and working age population.
“This presents a time bound opportunity. If young people are healthy, educated, skilled and productively engaged, we can accelerate economic growth and social transformation,” said Matsebula. “If we fail to invest, the same demographic shift can deepen inequality, unemployment and poor health outcomes.”
He said access to accurate information and quality youth friendly sexual and reproductive health services remains central to realising this opportunity. According to the Minister, empowering adolescents and young people with SRH knowledge and services allows them to remain in school, avoid unintended pregnancies, prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and plan their futures.
Matsebula said regional leaders meeting under the Multisectoral Consultative Forum on SRHR and the Demographic Dividend had agreed that investment in youth health, empowerment and opportunity is essential for harnessing the demographic dividend. He added that similar commitments are being advanced across East and Central Africa through regional strategies aimed at improving access to SRH services.
Turning to the local context, the Minister said Eswatini views its youthful population as a strategic national asset. He outlined measures taken by the Ministry of Health to expand youth friendly SRH services in urban and rural areas, strengthen comprehensive health education and awareness programmes and work with communities, schools and civil society to dismantle harmful social norms, particularly those that limit young women’s participation in education and the workforce.
“Our vision is simple yet bold: no young person left behind,” he said, adding that youth development is central to national development and social justice.
Matsebula cautioned that the Ministry of Health cannot achieve this agenda on its own. He called for a whole of government and whole of society approach, urging collaboration among key ministries, development partners, the private sector and young people themselves.
He further called for collective commitment to universal access to quality SRH services, evidence based decision making, gender transformative interventions and stronger education to employment pathways to ensure that healthy young people translate their potential into productivity and economic growth.
Addressing young delegates, the Minister urged them to use the summit as a platform for action driven by youth voices.
“The future is in your hands,” he said, encouraging participants to shape solutions that will benefit future generations.
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