EZULWINI, Eswatini | Africa has released more than 500 improved crop varieties in just three years. Yet for most crops, fewer than one in twenty farmers plant certified seed. Closing that gap is the task facing African Union leaders who begin meeting in Eswatini tomorrow.
The inaugural Africa Seed Summit opens on Monday 5 October 2026 at the Palazzo Convention Centre in Ezulwini and runs until Wednesday 7 October. The theme is “Resilient Seed Systems for a Food Secure Africa.”
The African Union Commission has convened the gathering as an Extraordinary Session on African Seed Systems. It brings together Heads of State and Government, agriculture ministers, national seed authorities, farmer organisations, researchers and private seed companies.
The AU describes timely access to quality seed of the right crops and varieties as central to raising farm output and achieving food security. Poor seed caps the yield a farmer can achieve, however good the rainfall, soil and pest control.
Progress so far has been uneven. In some countries, more than 70 percent of maize and vegetable farmers use improved certified seed. For legumes, roots and tubers, which millions of households depend on, uptake falls below 5 percent.
Supply of new genetics is not the problem. According to the AU, more than 500 improved varieties were released across Africa between 2022 and 2024. They carry traits such as high yield, early maturity, high oil content, high nutrient density and pest and disease tolerance. The challenge is getting them through the formal seed system and into farmers’ hands.
The summit has four stated objectives:
- secure consistent public investment in the seed sector
- draw in partners to co invest in seed system reforms led by individual countries
- recommit governments to legal and regulatory environments that attract private capital
- launch the Seed Sector Performance Index (SSPI) 2025 Status Report for Africa
The AU intends the index to serve as a monitoring tool under the CAADP Biennial Review.
The meeting is also tied to the continent’s wider agricultural agenda. One of its five thematic areas is aligning the Africa Seed and Biotechnology Programme with the second ten year implementation plan of the Kampala CAADP Declaration. That plan covers 2027 to 2033 under Agenda 2063. The other four themes are:
- seed policy and regulation
- public and private investment
- inclusive seed sector development
- the use of technology to accelerate agricultural growth
Ministers of Agriculture meet first on Monday. On Tuesday, an Executive Committee will bring them together with Ministers of Foreign Affairs. Heads of State convene on Wednesday. Technical plenaries, side events and an exhibition of seed technologies will run through the first two days.
The AU expects several outcomes:
- a summit declaration of commitments by Heads of State
- a roadmap to carry out those commitments
- pledges to improve national policy and regulatory frameworks
- a revised ten year action plan for the Africa Seed and Biotechnology Programme
Confirmed speakers include:
- AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Moses Vilakati
- Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Dlamini
- Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, John Dumelo
- Zimbabwe’s Agriculture Minister, Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka
- Botswana’s Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Gorataone Dikoloti
- Seychelles Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Blue Economy, Wallace Jude Keith Cosgrow
- Central African Republic’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Prof Emmanuel Mbetid Bessane
The AU has cautioned that session details and timings may still change.
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