The government of Lesotho through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development with the support of the World Bank launched the first Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) at the event held in Maseru on Wednesday.
In his keynote address, Prime Minister, Mr. Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane said this initiative shows a shared vision of the Private sector and the government of Lesotho of bringing Lesotho to better heights interns of development.
He said that this is an indication of progress and prosperity towards addressing issues of unemployment with more sustainable and well-structured plans.
He also said that this is the time which the two sectors need to roll up their sleeves and be involved in collaborative efforts which will address the poor developments that Lesotho is faced with.
Mr. Matekane however showed that the aim is to have quarterly meetings with the private sector, but regular arrangements can be made when burning issues emerge.
He therefore mentioned that this platform is amongst others intended to increase the domestic and foreign market as to attend to the lack of market of Lesotho products.
On the other hand, the minister of Trade, Mr. Mokhethi Shelile applauded the presence of the private sector, saying that it shows their commitment towards working together with the government.
He said that this partnership is critical as it will help accelerate opportunities to help the country towards recovery from the losses endured during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Shelile however mentioned that it is through such platforms that the implementation of the National Strategic Development Plan II (NSDP II) can be upvalued.
The World Bank Country Representative, Dr Yoichiro Ishihara said that the World Bank is happy to support the government of Lesotho while it is working together with the Private sector to ensure that Lesotho achieves its sustainable development plans.
He also said that it is important for Lesotho to take advantage of its natural resources and should consider investing more in them.
He also advised Lesotho to find its potential sectors such as wool and mohair production and renewable energy and also invest more towards their success.
The Public Private Dialogue (PPD) is a structured framework which is intended to address the shortfalls that the country is faced with in terms of sustainable development, quality education as well as youth unemployment to mention a few.
The initiative is expected to be piloted by the Prime Minister’s office through the Delivery Unit together with the Lesotho Chamber of Commerce (LCCI) as well as the Private Sector Lesotho Foundation (PSLF) as representative bodies of the private sector.
Source: LENA 14/02/2024
