Bongani Simon MASUKU

Bongani Simon Masuku is the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Eswatini responsible for providing guidance, oversight and strategic direction to the staff of the ministry which is responsible for ensuring food security, poverty alleviation and improved contribution of the sector to economic growth.   He is also responsible for ensuring effective implementation of relevant policies and legislation governing operations of the agriculture sector and mobilizing resources for implementing programmes and projects of the ministry. Mr. Masuku has been the country‘s National Focal Point on the UNCCD for the past 15 years. He coordinated the drafting and implementation of the National Action Plan and was instrumental in the establishment of the country’s National Environment Fund. He has also participated in the drafting and review of the SADC Regional Action Plan for combatting desertification. He contributed to chapters related to land degradation and rehabilitation during the preparation of the State of Environment document for eSwatini. Additionally, he has also worked extensively in the design of community projects on land rehabilitation and the mobilization of community participation in their implementation.  Mr. Masuku holds a Master of Science degree in Pedology and Soil Survey from the University of Reading, a Bachelor of Science degree and a Diploma in Agriculture from the University of Eswatini. His major scientific contributions were on the study of gully erosion in the Kingdom of Eswatini. This was followed by work on strategic approaches to erosion control, with emphasis on conservation with production. He has developed land use plans for several community areas incorporating the concept of conservation with production.