Vice President Afif and Special Envoy from the Kingdom of Eswatini discuss candidature for the position of Commissioner with the African Union

The Vice-President of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr. Ahmed Afif, today received a Special Envoy of His Majesty King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini, as part of the latter’s campaign for the position of the African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment. The Special Envoy, H.E. Mr. Phila Buthelezi, Minister of Labour and Social Security of the Kingdom of Eswatini, was accompanied by the candidate, Hon. Mr. Moses Vilakati, who has held the portfolio of Minister of Agriculture for five years and has also occupied the position of Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, with an extensive background in the agriculture field spanning over 30 years.

During the meeting, the candidate took this opportunity to express his commitment to prioritising initiatives related to the blue economy sector and advocating for strategic programmes to address challenges faced by African island states.

The Vice-President thanked the Special Envoy and the candidate for visiting Seychelles to present the Kingdom of Eswatini’s candidature and reassured them that Seychelles is carefully assessing the competencies of all candidates and will take a decision in due course.

The election of the African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment will take place in February 2025 during the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism – Foreign Affairs Department, Republic of Seychelles.