{"id":68046,"date":"2026-04-23T16:24:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T16:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/basotho-youth-encouraged-to-innovate-in-digital-economy"},"modified":"2026-04-23T17:06:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T17:06:34","slug":"basotho-youth-encouraged-to-innovate-in-digital-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/basotho-youth-encouraged-to-innovate-in-digital-economy","title":{"rendered":"Basotho Youth Encouraged to Innovate in Digital Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ap-summary\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\n<h4>What You Need to Know<\/h4>\n<p>The Chief Financial Officer of the Lesotho Communications Authority, Mr. Mangangole Tsikinyane, urged young Basotho to become active creators in the digital economy. Speaking at the Young and Innovation Forum, he emphasized the need for skills development to compete globally and encouraged youth to rethink their relationship with technology, moving from passive consumption to innovation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"ap-article-header-tag\"> <strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Lesotho. <\/strong> <\/span>The Chief Financial Officer of the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA), Mr. Mangangole Tsikinyane, has called on young Basotho to transition from being passive consumers of technology to active creators and innovators in the digital economy.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Tsikinyane made the remarks during the opening of the Young and Innovation Forum, held on the side-lines of the 64th Council Meeting of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) and the Commonwealth Digital Roadshow.<\/p>\n<p>However, he stressed the need for enhanced efforts to equip young Basotho with the necessary skills to compete effectively on the global stage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe goal of this roadshow is to move beyond strategy and ensure that our young creatives know how to use online platforms, artificial intelligence and data to transform their work and access international markets,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Tsikinyane described the forum as an important platform to inspire action, urging participants to fully utilize opportunities presented by digital transformation.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed to exhibitions showcased at the event as clear evidence of the growing potential among young Basotho innovators.<\/p>\n<p>He further challenged the youth to rethink their relationship with technology, cautioning against a culture of passive consumption.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have become consumers of technologies that were not designed with us in mind. It is time to move away from that mindset and become architects of our own digital future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Tsikinyane also highlighted the importance of inclusivity, stating that no Mosotho should be left behind in the digital revolution.<\/p>\n<p>He cited initiatives such as the CTO Academy, which aim to equip young people with essential skills in areas including digital policy, cybersecurity and innovation.<\/p>\n<p>He encouraged participants to actively engage with industry experts attending the forum.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNetwork, collaborate and seek knowledge. The insights you gain here can shape your future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He echoed sentiments expressed by government leaders that the energy and fresh ideas of young people are key to driving Lesotho\u2019s digital economy.<\/p>\n<p>The Young and Innovation Forum forms part of ongoing efforts to position Lesotho as a digitally inclusive and innovation-driven economy through partnerships under the Commonwealth platform.<\/p>\n<p>Lesotho has been striving to enhance its digital economy, recognizing the importance of technology in driving growth and innovation. The government and various organizations have initiated programs aimed at equipping the youth with necessary skills to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Events like the Young and Innovation Forum are part of broader efforts to foster a culture of creativity and inclusivity among young people in Lesotho, ensuring they are not just consumers but also contributors to the digital economy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ap-article-footer-note\">Find more news and analyses on <span class=\"ap-highlight-country\">Lesotho<\/span> on the <span class=\"ap-highlight-brand\">Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What You Need to Know The Chief Financial Officer of the Lesotho Communications Authority, Mr. Mangangole Tsikinyane, urged young Basotho to become active creators in the digital economy. Speaking at the Young and Innovation Forum, he emphasized the need for skills development to compete globally and encouraged youth to rethink their relationship with technology, moving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":68045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[2957,2958,245,194,7271],"class_list":["post-68046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-digital-economy","tag-innovation","tag-lesotho","tag-technology","tag-youth-empowerment"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Basotho Youth Encouraged to Innovate in Digital Economy - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lesotho&#039;s youth urged to shift from tech consumers to creators at the Young and Innovation Forum, enhancing digital skills.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/basotho-youth-encouraged-to-innovate-in-digital-economy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Basotho Youth Encouraged to Innovate in Digital Economy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lesotho&#039;s youth urged to shift from tech consumers to creators at the Young and Innovation Forum, enhancing digital skills.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/basotho-youth-encouraged-to-innovate-in-digital-economy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lesotho\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-23T16:24:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-23T17:06:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2026\/04\/sm_1776963533.065835.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1135\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"743\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/basotho-youth-encouraged-to-innovate-in-digital-economy#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/basotho-youth-encouraged-to-innovate-in-digital-economy\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Basotho Youth Encouraged to Innovate in Digital Economy\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-23T16:24:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-23T17:06:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/basotho-youth-encouraged-to-innovate-in-digital-economy\"},\"wordCount\":507,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/basotho-youth-encouraged-to-innovate-in-digital-economy#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2026\/04\/sm_1776963533.065835.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Digital Economy\",\"innovation\",\"Lesotho\",\"Technology\",\"youth empowerment\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/basotho-youth-encouraged-to-innovate-in-digital-economy#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/basotho-youth-encouraged-to-innovate-in-digital-economy\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/basotho-youth-encouraged-to-innovate-in-digital-economy\",\"name\":\"Basotho Youth Encouraged to Innovate in Digital Economy - 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