Mbabane – Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Senator Pholile Shakantu on Thursday received the letter of appointment for Dr. Fekadu Fufa Dinssa as the new Country Representative for the World Vegetable Center in the Kingdom.
Dr. Dinssa, an Ethiopian national, is a distinguished scientist with extensive experience in vegetable research and development, capacity building, project management, seed systems strengthening, team leadership and resource mobilisation.
Senator Shakantu used the occasion to thank Dr. Marco Worperis, the Director General of the World Food Organisation, for appointing Dr. Dinssa as country representative, before welcoming him to the Kingdom and outlining key areas for collaboration. 
“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,” Shakantu said.
Dr. Dinssa reaffirmed the World Vegetable Center’s commitment to working with Eswatini, including strengthening vegetable research and development, building local capacity, improving seed systems, and exploring value-added opportunities across the value chain.
Both parties agreed to identify priorities, mobilise resources and implement projects that address urgent sector challenges while supporting Eswatini’s broader development agenda.
