BY SIFISO NHLABATSI
MBABANE – African Union (AU) Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment Moses Vilakati has reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening relations between the continental body and the Government of Eswatini, following a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla.
Vilakati who is serving in the AU Commission, said the meeting provided an opportunity to strengthen engagement between the AU Commission and the Eswatini Government, particularly in disaster risk reduction, resilience-building and preparedness for emerging risks.
The engagement took place on the sidelines of the International Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in Africa (ICDRRR), which concluded in Maputo, Mozambique.
In an update shared by Vilakati, he said the discussions focused on advancing collaboration in addressing disaster risks and strengthening the continent’s preparedness to protect communities and livelihoods.
“The meeting provided an opportunity to strengthen engagement between the African Union Commission and the Government of Eswatini, with a focus on advancing collaboration on disaster risk reduction, resilience-building, and preparedness for emerging risks across the continent,” he stated.
Vilakati’s engagement with the Deputy Prime Minister comes at a time when African countries are being urged to strengthen their capacity to prevent disasters, prepare for emerging threats and minimise the impact of climate-related hazards.
The commissioner said the meeting also provided an opportunity to explore further cooperation in strengthening institutional coordination and ensuring that early warning systems resulted in timely action.
“I also welcomed the opportunity to explore avenues for further cooperation in strengthening institutional coordination and ensuring that early warning systems translate into timely action to protect communities and livelihoods,” he said.
He expressed his intention to maintain engagement with the Eswatini Government as the continent advances its resilience agenda.
“I look forward to continued engagement with the Government of Eswatini as we advance Africa’s resilience agenda,” Vilakati added.
Meanwhile, the ICDRRR concluded with calls for stronger disaster risk governance, increased investment in resilience and coordinated action to protect Africa’s people, economies and development gains.
The conference brought together ministers, policymakers, Regional Economic Communities, development partners, experts and other stakeholders to discuss Africa’s disaster risk landscape and identify practical solutions to improve preparedness, prevention and resilience.
In his closing remarks, Vilakati emphasised the need for African countries to shift from responding to disasters after they occur towards investing in prevention, preparedness and early action.
He said the priority was to translate the conference outcomes and Ministerial Communiqué into concrete actions, sustainable financing and measurable results, building on the Sendai Framework, the Windhoek Declaration and Agenda 2063.
The commissioner commended the Government and people of Mozambique, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), development partners and participating delegations for contributing to the continental gathering.
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