Strengthening Bilateral Ties: Universitas Airlangga and Eswatini Advance Cooperation in Wellness, Agriculture, and Education

Senator Pholile Shakantu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, on Friday met with a delegation from Indonesia’s Universitas Airlangga and its affiliated wellness and spa industry partners to advance bilateral cooperation in agricultural value chains, natural product exports and academic exchange.

The meeting, held in Mbabane, brought together Lenywati, Dipl. Cidesco, Director of The Royal Tirta Ayu Spa and Umtfombo Wekuphila Pty Ltd; Prof. Dr. Ni Nyoman Tri Puspaningsih, M.Si., Executive Secretary of the World University Alliance for Community Development (WUACD) and a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at Universitas Airlangga’s Faculty of Science and Technology; Prof. J. Sri Wulan Manuhara, M.Si., Head of Biotechnology of Tropical Medicinal Plant and a lecturer in the Department of Biology at the same faculty; and Prof. Dr. Nanik Siti Aminah, M.Si., Person in Charge of the Nurturing Wellness Programme at Eswatini and a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at Universitas Airlangga.

The engagement follows the 10 June 2026 launch at the University of Eswatini’s Luyengo Campus of the Ginger and Turmeric Research, Production and Value Addition Initiative, where Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Government, the University of Eswatini, Universitas Airlangga and private sector partners. The initiative seeks to position ginger and turmeric as strategic commodities for national development through research, value addition, agro-processing, export growth and job creation.

Friday’s discussions expanded the scope of Indonesia-Eswatini cooperation to include indigenous high-value natural products with strong export potential in the Kingdom, notably Marula oil and avocado. The Indonesian delegation identified these as promising commodities for global wellness and natural product markets, including Thailand, Europe and Nigeria, and called for industrialisation of their full value chains, from cultivation and harvesting to processing and certification.

Senator Shakantu confirmed that the Ministries of Agriculture, Commerce and Education would each engage the delegation in their respective areas, and emphasised the importance of moving from bilateral understanding to concrete, all-inclusive programmes that bring in smallholder farmers at scale, with the Ministry of Agriculture well placed to connect the delegation with farming communities able to supply the one to two tonnes of ginger required monthly.

The delegation noted that a pilot programme producing ginger using enzyme-based organic fertilisers in greenhouses was already under way at the University of Eswatini. The programme also incorporates student exchange opportunities under Indonesia’s Government-to-Government scholarship scheme, as well as a university-level scholarship offering of up to 15 places annually for students from across Africa. Minister Shakantu expressed support for the initiative and committed to facilitating coordination across relevant ministries to ensure the partnership translates into tangible outcomes for emaSwati farmers, women entrepreneurs and students.

Retrieved from: Eswatini Government