Senator Pholile Shakantu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, this week received the letter of appointment for Dr. Fekadu Fufa Dinssa as Country Representative for the World Vegetable Center in Eswatini, marking a significant step forward for agricultural development in the Kingdom.
Dr. Dinssa, an Ethiopian national, brings extensive expertise in vegetable research and development, capacity building, project management, seed systems strengthening, team leadership and resource mobilisation. In his new role, he will coordinate the Center’s activities and facilitate collaboration between the World Vegetable Center, the Eswatini government and other key stakeholders.
Senator Shakantu extended her gratitude to Dr. Marco Worperis, Director General of the World Food Organisation, for the appointment, before welcoming Dr. Dinssa and setting out a clear vision for partnership.
“Eswatini looks forward to working with you, particularly in research and development of African traditional vegetables and post-harvest handling. This will help extend shelf life and contribute to economic development. Many households have excess produce that goes to waste. With Dr. Dinssa’s experience, Eswatini stands to benefit from research initiatives that enable locally produced products from our indigenous vegetables,” she said.
Dr. Dinssa reaffirmed the Center’s commitment to the Kingdom, pledging to strengthen vegetable research and development, build local capacity, improve seed systems and explore value-added opportunities across the agricultural value chain.
The meeting concluded with both parties agreeing to identify priorities, mobilise resources and roll out projects that tackle pressing sector challenges while advancing Eswatini’s broader development goals.
