ZAMSEED appoints Chisanga Leah Yondela as managing director in historic first
Yondela becomes the first woman to lead ZAMSEED in its 50-year history
ZAMBIA – Zambia Seed Company Limited (ZAMSEED) has appointed Chisanga Leah Yondela as its new managing director, effective 1 February 2026, marking a milestone in the company’s governance.
Yondela becomes the first woman to lead ZAMSEED in its 50-year history, a notable leadership shift for one of Zambia’s most established agribusiness institutions and a key player in the regional seed market.
ZAMSEED plays a central role in Zambia’s formal seed system, supplying certified seed for major crops including maize, soybeans, wheat and legumes.
Its products serve both commercial producers and smallholder farmers, positioning the company at the intersection of food security, agricultural productivity and regional trade.
The leadership transition comes as the Southern African seed sector faces heightened regulatory scrutiny, rising investment activity and growing pressure to improve climate resilience across farming systems.
One regulatory development with direct implications for ZAMSEED’s regional footprint occurred in late 2025, when the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Competition Commission intervened to resolve a maize seed supply constraint in Eswatini.
The issue related to exclusive distribution arrangements for the SC 719 maize seed variety, produced by ZAMSEED and its partners.
According to the Commission, the exclusivity clauses restricted the Eswatini government’s ability to procure seed directly and posed a potential risk to food security.
Following the intervention, all parties agreed to remove the restrictive provisions, enabling direct government access to seed and preventing shortages ahead of the planting season. The move also set a precedent for improving cross-border access to certified seed varieties within the COMESA region.
At a broader level, Zambia and neighbouring countries are participating in Phase II of the Markets and Seeds Access Programme, which seeks to strengthen smallholder farmers’ access to improved and climate-resilient seed alongside better market linkages.
The initiative responds to intensifying climate variability and aims to improve both availability and uptake of quality seed across southern Africa, where productivity gaps remain wide.
Regional policymakers continue to focus on seed system reform. COMESA is advancing efforts to harmonise seed regulations across member states, a process viewed as essential to reducing non-tariff barriers and accelerating the movement of certified seed across borders.
Harmonisation is expected to improve access to improved varieties for the region’s estimated 90 million smallholder farmers and to support more efficient private sector participation in seed production and distribution.
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