Africa-Press – Lesotho. “The government of Lesotho has heard the voice of the youth,” the Right Honourable Prime Minister, Samuel Matekane, has said.
“We are working tirelessly to address the issue of unemployment, and we believe the solution lies in intensive labour and sectoral transformation,” he added, yesterday while addressing a press conference in response to growing concerns from the youth over Lesotho’s high unemployment rate.
Matekane acknowledged the pressing concerns raised by the youth and affirmed that the government is actively listening and responding.
He outlined the government’s strategy to create sustainable employment opportunities, particularly through a focus on labour-intensive industries.
Key sectors identified include agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, technology, and the creative industry.
“We are not only investing in traditional sectors but also embracing innovation and creativity,” Matekane said. “Through these initiatives, we aim to empower mostly women and young Basotho with meaningful jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.”
The Prime Minister emphasised that collaboration between the government, the private sector, and international partners will be critical to achieving these goals.
He encouraged the youth to remain hopeful and proactive, highlighting upcoming initiatives designed to support skills development and job creation.
This press conference comes at a time when youth unemployment in Lesotho remains alarmingly high, posing a challenge to economic growth and social stability. The government’s commitment to labour-intensive development offers a glimmer of hope to many young citizens seeking a brighter future.
Matekane said the government focus right now should be on inclusive growth and sustainable employment pathways for Lesotho’s youth.
To add to what the prime minister said, Minister of Trade Mokhethi Shelile said trade has four major companies and projects they are working with to address unemployment and create more jobs for Basotho.
“We have BEDCO, LNDC, CAFI and Regional Value Chain which is a project under the government of Lesotho in partnership with European Union (EU).
“We also have a project ‘Re bula lifeme’ under LNDC which has been operating since March, and our main objective is to ensure that Basotho are working,” said Shelile.
He highlighted that about 12 factories have been opened, which has seen about 7 174 Basotho being hired. Shelile further revealed that according to government plans an additional 1 750 people will soon be hired .
“A call centre that is currently under construction will take up about 4 000 employees once completed,” said Shelile.
Taking stock of what has been achieved so far, he said under CAFI, they have a project called Entrepreneurship Seed Funding which has improved 177 SMEs, among which 111 are youth-led.
Shelile also said that under LNDC each year they take 14 interns, to whom they impart skills and experience needed to survive in the industry.
“There is also the Lesotho Enterprise Assistance Program under which they give out matching grants to explore markets, and we also help Basotho owned factories by giving them machines for their businesses. We cover 80% of costs when buying the machines.”
Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Thabo Mofosi, said they need to improve their projects as agriculture, adding that under livestock they plan on capacitating the youth so that they can start creating jobs for themselves.
“In Botha Bothe about 30 girls have been capacitated in driving tractors so that they can start working in farming as well, that is under gender inclusion,” said Mofosi.
He said Lesotho has land and can create many jobs for youth.
Under SADP II 80 youth are awarded matching grants to help them grow their businesses so that they would be able to hire other youth under them.
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