BY THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE – The Government of Eswatini has appealed to the business sector and development partners for financial support towards hosting the African Union (AU) Seeds High-Level Meeting scheduled for October.
Minister of Agriculture Mandla Tshawuka made the appeal during a press briefing at the Ministry of Agriculture boardroom on Monday, September 14, 2026, where he announced that Eswatini will host the high-level continental meeting from October 5 to 7, 2026.
Tshawuka said the meeting, which has been commissioned by His Majesty King Mswati III, will be held at the Ezulwini Palazzo.
He said the Kingdom is expecting to welcome a number of ministers, delegates, specialists, business representatives, development partners and members of the international fraternity to the meeting.
The Minister said preparations were already underway and that government would also host a support meeting with the business and private sectors on Monday, September 21, at the Happy Valley Hotel.
“We are therefore taking the opportunity to announce that this high-level meeting will take place at Ezulwini Palazzo, International Convention Centre (ICC), on dates that have already been mentioned,” said Tshawuka.
He said government had written letters to various stakeholders requesting financial contributions towards the costs associated with hosting the summit.
“We have written letters asking people to pledge their support in terms of this financial support because we need to be able to pay for some of the expenses that are going to be incurred by government,” he said.
Tshawuka expressed hope that businesses and development partners would respond positively to the appeal and commit financial resources towards the hosting of the continental gathering.
“We are therefore hopeful that during this day, the business sector and the developmental partners will commit generously to supporting this very important initiative,” he said.
The Minister said the summit would provide an important platform for discussions around seed systems and their contribution to agricultural production and development across Africa.
He stressed that seeds are fundamental to agriculture, noting that farming cannot take place without access to planting material.
“Seeds are very important in the agricultural sector because you can’t do any farming without seeds. You need seeds,” said Tshawuka.
He explained that the term seeds also covers planting materials such as plant segments, in addition to conventional granular seeds.
“Whether the seeds are actual granular seeds or they are segments of plants, we still call them seeds,” he said.
According to the Ministry, the upcoming summit will focus on key issues relating to sustainable seed systems, while highlighting the importance of strengthening agricultural development in Eswatini and across the African continent.
Tshawuka said the Kingdom needed to address challenges surrounding seed availability and systems in order to increase agricultural production.
“So we do need to be able to deal with that thing so that we are able to increase the production of commodities in this kingdom and also in the African region,” he said.
He said government viewed the summit as an important opportunity to create a positive impact in the agricultural sector.
“For us, this is very important, and we are hoping that this will make a very good impact in our agricultural sector,” he said.
The October summit is expected to bring together key players from the agricultural sector, including policymakers, technical specialists, development partners and the private sector, placing Eswatini at the centre of continental discussions on sustainable seed systems and agricultural development.
The Ministry said the September 21 support meeting would provide an opportunity to engage the business community and private sector on their role in supporting the successful hosting of the AU Seeds High-Level Meeting.
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