Speaking during the visit, Eswatini's Principal Secretary for Education and Training, Nanikie Mnisi, underscored the importance of collaboration among Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states to promote the exchange of ideas and innovations that can accelerate regional development.

Mnisi commended MUBAS for its remarkable achievements in agricultural innovation, describing the MUBAS Agricultural Mechanization (AgriMech) Unit as a transformative initiative with the potential to strengthen the agro-based economies of both Malawi and Eswatini.

"We have noted that MUBAS has made significant investments through the UniPod, mining, entrepreneurship, food processing, and agricultural technology. We look forward to fostering collaboration between our two universities," said Mnisi.

She added that youth unemployment remains a major challenge across many African countries and called for increased support for innovations that create employment and self-employment opportunities for young people.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Eswatini, Professor Justice Thwala, said the two institutions intend to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in research, innovation, enterprise development, and staff exchange programmes.

Professor Thwala observed that Africa possesses enormous potential because of its abundant natural resources and emphasized the need for greater support for home-grown African initiatives.

"We cannot continue to rely on Western donors for support. We need to pool our resources, including our human capital, to develop this continent," he said.

He further called for stronger partnerships among governments, industry, and universities to promote research and innovation capable of driving Africa's economic and social development.

MUBAS Vice-Chancellor, Associate Professor Nancy Chitera reaffirmed the university's commitment to strengthening partnerships with universities both locally and internationally to facilitate knowledge sharing and develop innovative solutions to the many challenges facing communities.

During the visit, the Eswatini delegation toured several innovation facilities at MUBAS, including the UniPod, the MUBAS Design Studio, the MUBAS Innovation Hub, and the MUBAS Agricultural Mechanization (AgriMech) Unit.

The visit formed part of a benchmarking and learning tour ahead of the establishment of a UniPod at the University of Eswatini, which will be supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).