The African Union says Africa’s food security, job creation and economic development depend on high-quality seeds, including indigenous varieties preserved through generations.
This was said by Hussein Nyambe, Director for Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy at the AU Commission, speaking on behalf of the Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Moses Vilakati.
Nyambe thanked the government and people of Eswatini for hosting the meeting and acknowledged member states, regional economic communities, development partners, farmers unions and private sector players for attending. 
He also thanked partners, member states and the host government for their financial contributions towards the meeting.
He said Africa’s ambition to achieve food security, build resilient food systems, create jobs and strengthen economic development is anchored on seeds.
“At the centre of this transformation lies a strategic resource that is often taken for granted and that remains yet critical for agricultural production, and this is high-quality seeds,” he said.
He said seeds are more than farm inputs. He said they embody continuity, innovation, research, biodiversity and resilience, and serve as vehicles through which scientific advances reach farmers.
According to Nyambe, seeds contribute to increased productivity, improved nutrition, climate adaptation and enhanced livelihoods.
He said the contribution of indigenous knowledge systems is often overlooked.
He said for generations African farmers preserved seeds despite drought, pests and diseases, selecting them based on traits such as drought tolerance.
He said this explains why African crops such as sorghum and millet are more resilient to local challenges compared to maize.
Despite scientific and technological advances, he said farmers still struggle to access high-quality seeds of improved and climate-resilient varieties.
He said seed systems remain uneven in development and investment, and regional trade remains constrained despite policy harmonisation efforts.
“Despite efforts to harmonize policies that are related to seeds, regional trade of these seeds remains a challenge.
In other words, it’s still difficult to get seeds from maybe Eswatini to South Africa or to Zambia,” he said.
Nyambe said senior officials have a collective responsibility to address these challenges and create a conducive environment for a sustainable seed sector.
He said the meeting provides an opportunity to reflect on challenges and identify solutions over the next two days.
He said resilient seed systems are indispensable for agricultural productivity and sustainable economic development.
He said the technical session should produce technical documents and identify investment and financing opportunities for the private sector.
He expressed confidence that collective commitment will build stronger partnerships, enhanced investments and renewed momentum towards resilient seed systems for African farmers today and for future generations.
