Sibonelo Mamba, Graduate-in-Training in Planning at the Ministry of Agriculture.
BY SIBUSISIWE NDZIMANDZE | JOURNALIST
MANZINI – Eswatini’s agriculture sector is looking for its problem-solvers, and the government wants to find them before the end of June.
The Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with the World Bank and FoodSystems 2030, has launched the Eswatini Solutions Marketplace 2026, a national competition and showcase designed to surface homegrown innovations that can address the sector’s most persistent challenges: weak service delivery, low productivity, climate vulnerability, poor value addition, and broken market linkages that continue to frustrate smallholder farmers across the country.
Applications are now open and close on 30 June 2026.
Sibonelo Mamba, Graduate-in-Training in Planning at the Ministry of Agriculture, said the platform is an open invitation to anyone with a working idea.
“The Eswatini Solutions Marketplace is a platform where innovators in the agricultural sector of all ages are invited to share their ideas on how to transform agriculture and agribusiness, especially in areas such as service delivery and the priority pillars of ENAIP 2.0,” Mamba said.
She added that shortlisted participants will be brought together at a national showcase event to present directly to policymakers, development partners, private sector players and other key stakeholders.
“There is no age limit, and we encourage innovators to take this opportunity seriously because it gives them a platform to network and have their innovations taken into consideration,” she said.
What the Marketplace is Looking For
The initiative is aligned with the Eswatini National Agricultural Investment Plan (ENAIP 2023–2028), also known as ENAIP 2.0, which targets improved productivity, food sovereignty, agribusiness growth, employment creation and stronger value chains across the sector.
The Solutions Marketplace is seeking innovations across a broad range of priority areas, including digital extension services, tele-veterinary solutions, input delivery systems, fintech for farmers, climate-smart agriculture, food security and school feeding, agro-processing, cold storage, youth and women agribusiness development, and market access platforms.
Applications are open to a wide range of entities, agribusinesses, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), farmer cooperatives and organisations, technology and digital platforms, NGOs, development programmes, and research institutions.
The Ministry is targeting a minimum of 20 innovators to be shortlisted for the national showcase event.
What Participants Stand to Gain
Beyond the platform itself, selected innovators will receive national visibility, expert feedback, peer learning opportunities and direct engagement with government officials, development partners and private sector stakeholders, a combination that could accelerate adoption and funding for proven solutions.
The Marketplace represents a deliberate government effort to close the gap between policy intent and on-the-ground impact, finding innovations already working in communities and positioning them for scale.
Applications close 30 June 2026. For more information, contact +268 7866 2716 or visit eswatinisolutionsmarketplace.org/solutions-marketplace.
