Kwaluseni – Minister of ICT Savannah Maziya says Eswatini’s youth are standing at the threshold of a technological revolution and must be given every opportunity to lead it—especially young women and learners in underserved communities.
She was addressing learners, educators, and stakeholders at the 2025 STEM Expo held at the UNESWA Sports Emporium in Kwaluseni on Friday The event, attended by over 1 100 learners from across the country, forms part of the broader National Science Week activities.
The Minister praised Macmillan Education Eswatini for its contribution of E222 000 towards STEM development, which supported both the Science Week and the Expo. Macmillan also unveiled its upcoming digital platform, Macmillan Education Everywhere, which aims to transform classroom and home learning across the country.
Maziya used the occasion to reflect on her ministry’s efforts to bring digital skills training to rural youth and women. She cited the STEM Future Pioneers Mentorship Programme, launched earlier this year, which connects over 300 girls and young women with industry mentors. She personally pledged to mentor 300 girls through the initiative.
Digital inclusion has been a recurring theme in the Ministry’s strategy, with programmes underway to train 300 000 programmers in the coming years—half of them young women. Over 2 300 youth have already enrolled in the Youth Digital Skills Programme, which converts public libraries into tech training hubs. Some participants have earned global certifications from as far as Lavumisa and Piggs Peak.
The Expo featured student-led innovations ranging from solar water purification systems to AI-powered health apps, with many projects coming from rural schools. Maziya said the quality of these ideas shows that young people are not only learning STEM, but are using it to solve real-life challenges.
She called on the private sector to invest more in youth-driven innovation and on parents to support their children’s curiosity and creativity.
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