His Majesty King Letsie III awarded the Moshoeshoe I Scholarship to 10 Basotho students for this year’s Moshoeshoe 1 Scholarship at a ceremony held in Maseru on Tuesday.

The scholarships will cover university tuition fees for students studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The Moshoeshoe I Scholarship is offered by Higherlife Foundation Lesotho with support from Econet Telecom Lesotho.

This is the second cohort of students after the scholarship was launched in 2022. Named after the founder of the Basotho nation, King Moshoeshoe I, in recognition of his incredible leadership and the unifying role he played.

When addressing the students, His Majesty congratulated them, encouraging them to use the skills they will learn from their respective degrees to improve Lesotho.

“I hope you will pursue STEM-related courses that will be a key foundation towards addressing some of the underlying developmental challenges that our beloved country is faced with,” His Majesty emphasised.

Econet Telecom Lesotho Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Dennis Plaatjies said the scholarship provides academically gifted students studying science, technology, engineering, and maths opportunities to maximise their potential.

“The youth account for 40% of Lesotho’s population and remains the country’s biggest asset. We can’t unlock our children’s potential without investments in education and supporting our students to be their best,” he stressed.

Mr. Plaatjies noted that Today’s cohort of students should give them hope that the future of Lesotho is in good hands.

He said the investment in human capital is part of Econet Telecom Lesotho’s mandate.

“Social investment has been part of the Econet DNA and we do not intend to stop. We have received incredible support from the people in this country, and we want to play a role in unearthing the next best talent who can come up with the next grand idea that will change the world,” he concluded.

Source: Econet Telecom Lesotho Press Release 28/ 09/2023