BY MFANUFIKILE KHATHWANE
MBABANE – Eswatini is set to unlock new economic opportunities in high-value agricultural and wellness industries following high-level talks between Senator Pholile Shakantu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and a visiting Indonesian delegation from Universitas Airlangga and its affiliated wellness and spa industry partners.
The Friday meeting in Mbabane focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in agricultural value chains, natural product exports, academic exchange and industrial development, with special emphasis on turning indigenous resources into globally competitive products.
The delegation included Lenywati, Dipl. Cidesco, Director of The Royal Tirta Ayu Spa and Umtfombo Wekuphila Pty Ltd; Prof. Dr. Ni Nyoman Tri Puspaningsih, Executive Secretary of the World University Alliance for Community Development (WUACD); Prof. J. Sri Wulan Manuhara, Head of Biotechnology of Tropical Medicinal Plants; and Prof. Dr. Nanik Siti Aminah, who is leading wellness programme collaboration efforts in Eswatini.
The engagement builds on the 10 June 2026 launch at the University of Eswatini’s Luyengo Campus of the Ginger and Turmeric Research, Production and Value Addition Initiative, witnessed by Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini, where a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Government, the University of Eswatini, Universitas Airlangga and private sector partners.
The initiative aims to position ginger and turmeric as strategic national commodities through research, agro-processing, value addition, export expansion and job creation.
Friday’s discussions broadened the scope of cooperation to include indigenous high-value products such as marula oil and avocado, which the Indonesian delegation identified as having strong potential in global wellness and natural product markets, including Thailand, Europe and Nigeria. They further called for full value-chain industrialisation from cultivation and harvesting to processing and certification.
Senator Pholile Shakantu welcomed the proposals and confirmed that the Ministries of Agriculture, Commerce and Education would engage the delegation to fast-track implementation. She stressed the importance of moving beyond bilateral understanding to concrete programmes that directly involve smallholder farmers, women entrepreneurs and youth.
She further noted that the Ministry of Agriculture is well placed to link the project with farming communities capable of supplying up to one to two tonnes of ginger monthly, as required for pilot and expansion phases.
The delegation also revealed that a pilot ginger production programme using enzyme-based organic fertilisers in greenhouse systems is already underway at the University of Eswatini. The initiative includes student exchange opportunities under Indonesia’s Government-to-Government scholarship scheme, alongside up to 15 annual scholarships for African students.
The Minister reaffirmed Government’s commitment to ensuring the partnership delivers tangible outcomes for emaSwati, particularly in boosting agricultural productivity, skills development and export-led growth.
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