By: Mpho Shelile
MASERU
Prime Minister, the Right. Hon. Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane, has urged Basotho entrepreneurs to come up with home-grown solutions to fix the current economic challenges.
“We must stop thinking that help will always come from outside. It is time we sat down with our development partners and crafted solutions that are rooted in our reality and inspired by our ambitions,” he said.
The Government of Lesotho recently hosted the third instalment of the Prime Minister’s Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) in Maseru.
Spearheaded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Business Development, with support from the World Bank, this high-level meeting aimed to strengthen action-oriented partnership between the public and private sectors.
The dialogue provided a platform to deliberate on sustainable economic solutions amidst global shocks, investment climate action plan, high unemployment, and limited market access.
It also marked a critical step in reshaping the narrative around economic development in Lesotho from reliance on foreign aid to a model driven by Basotho themselves.
Prime Minister Matekane, while speaking at the event, emphasised the importance of shared accountability and a long-term national vision.
“The responsibility to rejuvenate our economy lies strictly on our shoulders,” he said. “Overcoming unemployment and repositioning Lesotho in global markets requires us to pull together, not apart.”
Matekane called on the private sector to play an active role in creating jobs, investing in innovation, and supporting entrepreneurship, particularly among women and youth. “We have a generation of creative, determined young people. Let us give them the tools, support, and environment to succeed,” he said.
While acknowledging the importance of development partners like the World Bank, Matekane stressed that sustainable progress must originate from within.
Representatives from the private sector highlighted the need to reduce regulatory red tape that hinders business growth.
Trade minister Mokheti Shelile assured stakeholders that the dialogue would not remain a one-time event but evolve into an ongoing conversation with measurable impact on the textile industry, agriculture and construction, while tackling regulatory efficiency, digital transformation and gender inclusion.
“We are committed to creating an ecosystem where businesses can flourish, where innovation is encouraged, and where Basotho lead the charge in building our economy,” said Shelile.
Chaba Mokuku, CAFI’s project manager, presented achievements in improving the business environment, including the introduction of a fully automated company registration process with online payments reducing registration time from seven to only three days.
Mokuku added that the launch of an online traders licensing system accelerated business start-ups, leading to the establishment of 875 new companies.
Despite these achievements, Mokuku pointed out lingering challenges such as the absence of risk-based trading licenses and the uncertainty caused by the business licensing and registration regulations introduced in 2020.
The dialogue concluded with a pledge from the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Business Development to implement key takeaways from the discussions.