Africa-Press – Lesotho. Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation (MICSTI) Mr. Kanono Ramashamole has called for embracing of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with courage, creativity and innovation saying it is not a distant dream but it is here, reshaping, defining their present and future.
This he said in his keynote address at the ministry’s 2025 Science Festival themed: “Embracing Applications of AI” in Maseru on Friday with tertiary students, exhibitors and AI experts.
The Science Festival is aimed to support and grow science by creating platform to allow networking and collaboration between academia and private sector.
He said they should take the festival as both a reflection and a call to action saying it reflects their progress and challenges them to go further, to prepare the youth for the jobs of the future, to build an inclusive and resilient digital economy, as well as to harness AI as a tool for national prosperity.
He urged that this festival should be a space of learning, collaboration and transformation where Lesotho leads with vision, innovation, and purpose.
He highlighted that AI is transforming economies and societies across the world from smart agriculture and intelligent transport systems to modern healthcare and efficient public services saying it is redefining how nations solve problems and create opportunities.
Therefore he mentioned that for Lesotho, this presents an opportunity to build a home grown AI ecosystem that drives productivity, competitiveness, and inclusive growth.
“Through the National Digital Transformation Strategy, our goal is to empower Basotho through the pillars of Digital Population, Digital Business, and Digital Government”, he said.
Mr. Ramashamole stated that today’s Science Festival aligns closely with the national priorities under the second National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP II) and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those on quality education, decent work, innovation, and reducing inequalities.
He added that it builds on the foundation laid by the STEAM and Sebabatso Initiatives, as well as the UNIPOD programme, which together nurture scientific curiosity, digital innovation, and research excellence. He said, “In response to the Prime Minister’s call to address the chronic challenge of youth unemployment, this Festival seeks to equip our young people with digital and entrepreneurial skills so that they not only access jobs of the future but also create them”.
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