BY THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE– Scholars, students and members of the public are being invited to participate in the upcoming Population and Development Summit, which will examine Eswatini’s demographic transition over the past 40 years.
The summit, to be held on November 11 – 12, 2026, is being organised by the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development through the National Population Unit, which is mandated to coordinate the National Population Policy and generate evidence to inform population-related policies and programmes.
As part of the summit, the organisers have invited scholars, students, degree holders, master’s and PhD holders, as well as professors, to submit abstracts for research papers aligned with the summit theme, “Eswatini: 40 Years of the Demographic Transition.”
The presentations are expected to examine what has happened in Eswatini’s population dynamics over the past four decades, with successful abstracts to be selected for presentation during the summit.
According to National Population Unit Director Nombulelo Dlamini, the summit will provide an important platform for generating and sharing evidence on population and development issues affecting the country.
“It is our mandate to coordinate policy, national population policy, and also generate evidence,” said Dlamini.
Dlamini said the summit was also aimed at strengthening the generation of evidence, particularly through research and presentations by academics and other scholars.
“We saw it fit that during the summit, there will be a number of presentations of abstracts, which we have invited from different scholars and students,” she said.
The organisers said eight themes have been identified for researchers to explore, covering areas including demographics, the economy, urbanisation, the environment, health and education.
The public has also been encouraged to attend the summit and participate in the discussions.
Attendance will be accessible to the public, with students expected to pay E150, while the general public will pay E300.
The organisers said registration for attendance will be opened through the summit website after September 21, 2026.
Members of the public have, however, been encouraged to visit the website and familiarise themselves with the summit information ahead of the opening of the registration portal.
Dlamini described the summit as an opportunity for rich discussions around the science of population and its relationship with development.
“It’s such a rich summit, rich in discussions of the science around demographics, economy, urbanisation, environment, health, education and various themes, which are found on the website,” she said.
The summit is therefore expected to bring together researchers, academics, students, policymakers and members of the public to reflect on Eswatini’s demographic journey and consider what the country’s population trends mean for its future development.
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