Africa-Press – Lesotho. Basotho Enterprises Development Corporation (BEDCO) has established a shared textile services facility coined ‘The Textile Hub @ BEDCO’ aimed at providing textile machinery access to small businesses in
the textile sector at a nominal fee. The facility was officially launched by the Minister of Small Business Development Cooperatives and Marketing Hon.
Machesetsa Mofomobe on Thursday. The facility consists of 21 sewing machines. Services offered include printing, cutting, overlocking, flat stitching, plain seaming, hemming, pocket facing,
attaching elastic lace, zigzag stitching and pressing. Entrepreneurs who are eligible to access the facility must be between the age of 18 and 60 years with
less than 200 orders to fulfil. Speaking at the launch, Basotho Enterprise Development Corporation Chief Executive Officer Idia Penane mentioned that BEDCO’s strategy for 2019-2025 is to lead the
development of Basotho Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMES) in the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) II priority sectors. Penane highlighted that the corporation has an objective of enhancing 1,300 existing
MSMES by the end of 2022 as follows; develop 50 youth start-up Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMES), 1000 Micro businesses, 200 small businesses and 50
medium businesses. She added that the corporation plans to achieve these objectives through the projects such as the youth start-up which will provide seed capital
through a business plan competition and provide incubation services. “I encourage entrepreneurs to take advantage of the facility because it will be of
help to them in a way that they will promote their businesses and also sell their own locally made products to Basotho,” she concluded. The facility will also contribute to enabling some of the workers in the Textile
industry who have recently lost their jobs to start businesses using their skills without having to bear the heavy initial cost of acquiring equipment.
Also present at the launch, Afri-Expo Textiles Managing Director Teboho Kobeli who gave his gratitude to BEDCO for doing a good job in expanding businesses mostly
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). He also encouraged Basotho to start their own businesses and not rely on being employed by foreigners. He mentioned that
Basotho are under a serious threat which is unemployment and urged that there should be stakeholders’ meeting to tackle this high risk of unemployment
especially among the youth as they are the ones who are mostly faced with this pandemic. Meanwhile Mofomobe highlighted that they have implemented laws and regulations that will
ensure that certain businesses are owned by Basotho only. He added that things have to change in the business industry. He also showed gratitude to BEDCO for
their job well done in helping many SMEs achieve their dreams of becoming successful businesses in the future. BEDCO saw the requirement for a shared textile services facility following the success of its woodwork/carpentry machine leasing programme at its compound in Sebaboleng Maseru and Hlotse estates for the past 10 years.
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