A national workshop aimed at tackling land degradation and promoting sustainable land use is underway today, 25 June, at Ezulwini. The event is being hosted by the Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO), in partnership with the Eswatini National Trust Commission (ENTC) and the Ministry of Agriculture.
The gathering marks Eswatini’s official launch of the AFR100 initiative—Africa’s Forest Landscape Restoration effort—which seeks to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land across the continent by 2030. Eswatini has committed to contributing at least 200,000 hectares of restored land as part of its national target.
Participants at the Ezulwini workshop include government departments, academic institutions, civil society organisations, private sector players, development partners, traditional leaders, and youth representatives. The event is being positioned as a turning point in coordinating efforts to reverse the country’s widespread environmental degradation.
The Mbuluzi Ecosystem Restoration Project, being implemented by World Vision Eswatini, is being showcased as a model initiative. It focuses on protecting riverbanks, improving biodiversity, rehabilitating degraded land, and enhancing rural livelihoods.
The workshop discussions are exploring strategies such as agroforestry, conservation agriculture, sustainable land management, and environmental education campaigns. There is also focus on long-term land-use planning, inclusive policy engagement, and community-led restoration grounded in indigenous knowledge.
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