Africa-Press – Lesotho. Minister of Development Planning Hon. Tlohelang Aumane says the end of Lesotho economic laboratories is the beginning of a new phase in Lesotho’s economic
acceleration. He said the momentum harnessed by the labs will be carried onto implementation, and a robust monitoring and evaluation framework will be in place to sustain
the progress and achieve the set targets. Early last month, the Right Honorable Prime Minister Dr Motsoahae Thomas Thabane officially launched the Lesotho Economic Laboratories, an initiative which is
expected to create more than 22 000 new jobs through private sector investments in various sectors. The four productive sectors that the government has committed to support from the initiative are commercial
agriculture, diversified manufacturing, tourism and creative industry; and technology and innovation as per the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDPII).
“Immediately after the labs, we shall proceed to Step 3 of the Big Fast Results (BFR)
methodology known as the Open Day. This is a platform where finalized outcomes from the economic labs will be showcased to the wider public for knowledge and
feedback,” he said. Speaking at the closing of the labs on Thursday, Aumane indicated that in preparation for implementation, a dedicated delivery unit will
be established at the highest level of governance to ensure accountability in delivering results. The unit will play a facilitative role with ministries,
departments and agencies to work hand-in-hand with the private sector to realize the achievements. This therefore enables the economic agenda to be result-oriented.
He said proper and rigorous implementation monitoring and tracking will be crucial in meeting the NSDP II targets. “I am not saying that the journey will be easy, as any change will require an
effort. But as long as we work together and in a coherent manner, I believe that the results can be achieved,” he said. Meanwhile Deputy Prime Minister Hon.
Monyane Moleleki who was speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister, said he was convinced that the cabinet made the right decision to adopt the economic lab approach.
He admitted it to be ‘very good planning innovation for dealing with development challenges and getting the government, the private sector and other partners in development to act decisively and , further
pointing out that some of the issues have been dragging for years, frustrating investments that could have benefitted this country enormously. “The predicted outcomes of the economic labs have injected positive momentum towards
the implementation of the National Strategic Development Plan II, whose overriding objective is to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and private sector-led job creation.
The implementation of the economic lab programme will surely change the economic narrative of Lesotho very quickly, ushering us into the new and better economic
landscape,” he alluded. He pointed out that the following stage is implementation stage which is the most crucial and critical. “We have to deliver on our commitments as planned. So, I am declaring openly that we commit as the leadership of this government to deliver on our commitments,” he said.
