Basotho entrepreneurs and diaspora members gathered at the Lesotho Diaspora Investment and Trade Summit in Midrand, South Africa, using the occasion to press for closer cooperation between Lesotho and its larger neighbour. They framed the relationship as a practical channel for moving money, skills and goods into the Lesotho economy. The annual event, held at the Gallagher Convention Centre, is designed to mobilise remittances, attract investment and direct resources into domestic trade and job creation.
For those watching whether such efforts actually deliver, the summit functioned as a working marketplace rather than a ceremonial occasion. It gave diaspora entrepreneurs a chance to gain exposure for their businesses and showcase products to potential partners. Among the participants was Mats’eliso Morobela, founder of Katiba Africa, who commended the Lesotho Diaspora Investment and Trade Forum for building a platform through which products can be promoted and partnerships formed.
“We are at this forum where we are also getting exposure, not just in South Africa but worldwide as well, so that our business can grow, we can make more impact, feed more families and pay more school fees for our African people,” Morobela said.
The operational side of the effort rests with Lesotho’s government, which presented itself as the facilitator of that delivery. Ntsime Jafeta, Lesotho’s High Commissioner to South Africa, said the government wants to strengthen engagement with the diaspora and harness its skills, expertise and resources for the benefit of the country’s economy.
“I wish to seize this opportunity to reaffirm that the government of Lesotho is cognisant of the fact that you, diaspora members, are the best assets of the country, sharing your skills, creativity, unlimited imagination, and we must use this to the benefit of our nation. Furthermore, the government pledges to continue facilitating your active involvement in every facet of the country’s economic development. May I say one thing? One of the principal objectives of this forum is to make it easier for prospective investors, inclusive of our diaspora, to conduct business in and with Lesotho,” Jafeta said.
That last point goes to the heart of the delivery question: whether the machinery exists to make cross-border business with Lesotho easier to conduct in practice. The government’s stated objective, as set out by its High Commissioner, is precisely to reduce the friction facing prospective investors, including diaspora members themselves.
Meanwhile, Palesa Matobako, Principal Secretary for Lesotho’s Trade Ministry, echoed the call for greater diaspora participation, describing the forum as an important platform for attracting investment and promoting economic opportunities.
“This forum provides an important platform to showcase the sotho’s investment and trade opportunities and to encourage our diaspora to channel their resources, expertise, skills and networks into productive ventures that drive economic growth, create jobs and strengthen our country’s competitiveness. As government, we recognise the diaspora not merely as a pseudo-diplomacy beyond our borders, but as strategic partners in unlocking the country’s economic potential,” Matobako said.
Beyond investment flows, the summit also put weight on the human infrastructure behind economic delivery: skills development, knowledge transfer and mentorship, alongside access to professional networks and markets. These are the channels through which diaspora resources are expected to translate into productive ventures rather than remittances alone.
The Lesotho government says it remains committed to working with the diaspora, the private sector and development partners to advance the country’s economic development. For the Basotho in the diaspora who gathered in Midrand, the measure of that commitment will be whether the platform they praised continues to convert exposure into partnerships, investment and jobs back home.
Report by Bonolo Maribe.