Maseru, July 01 —Members of the public, youth and women’s associations, as well as civil society organisations, have welcomed the government’s decision to convene the National Dialogue and Accountability Summit, describing it as a demonstration of democracy, accountability, and transparency.
These they said in an interview with the Agency, during the launch of a three-day National Dialogue and Accountability Summit held at Manthabiseng Convention Centre from Wednesday, with the objective to create a national platform for meaningful engagement between the government and citizens by providing Basotho with an opportunity to hear directly from government leaders, ask questions, share experiences, provide feedback on public services, and contribute to shaping national development priorities and solutions.
Transformation Resource Centre, Democracy and Human Rights Officer Mr. Tsikoane Peshoane said although it was too early to have made a comprehensive assessment as the summit had just begun, accountability is essential and should be accompanied by tangible results.
He added that some of the participants were unable to participate fully during the opening session as they were still awaiting key documents, indicating that the summit was organised within a short period of time, making it difficult to assess government achievements against its plans.
“There should be proper coordination between budget allocations and accountability to measure progress effectively” he said, stressing that government plans should be linked to actual outcomes.
On the other hand, Women Initiatives Lesotho member Ms. Mpho Mpholo commended the government for reporting back to the nation, describing the initiative as a positive step towards strengthening accountability.
However, she suggested that the reporting process should be decentralised, with accountability beginning at the district level before progressing to the national level.
“Each district should report on its achievements and challenges thus government level reporting should follow,” she said.
She further expressed hope that the government would provide detailed plans on youth employment, stressing that young people require sustainable, permanent jobs rather than temporary employment opportunities.
Some members of the public said the summit reflects democratic governance by creating a platform for citizens to engage with the government on its achievements and challenges.
One, Mrs. Mabokang Mojela, said the government previously failed to implement some plans aimed at contributing towards economic development, expressing hope that the summit would produce better results.
“Similar forums had been held before but yielded little visible results,” she said, acknowledging improvements in road rehabilitation, programmes supporting unemployed graduates through apprenticeship initiatives, and the Sebabatso Programme, among others.
Meanwhile, in his opening remarks, the Prime Minister Mr. Ntsokoane Matekane said the government had introduced several initiatives to address the country’s high unemployment rate, which he had previously declared as a national state of emergency.
He said these initiatives include the Inclusive Growth Fund, the Sebabatso Programme, and Lesotho’s participation in the Youth Connect Africa initiative.
The Deputy Prime Minister Justice Nthomeng Majara highlighted some of the government’s achievements between 2022 and the 2024/2025 financial years as growth in commercial farming, an increase in tourism from 541,000 to 960,000, and the allocation of M400 million to support small and medium enterprises.
“These achievements, together with many others, have contributed to job creation and economic development,” she said.
The National Dialogue and Accountability Summit follows the recent Leadership Retreat held in Teyateyaneng and both events are being held under the theme: “ Building Stronger Communities through Leadership, Accountability and Results-Oriented Service Delivery “.
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