…LCCI says that the private sector must be more organised
Tšepiso Malunga
The private sector must desist from the practice of seeking to align with politicians in the hope of getting rich in lieu of hard work, Lesotho Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) business development director, Lesei Lesei, has said.
Instead, the private sector must unite to lobby government for favourable policies that will help their cause to achieve economic growth.
Lesei was speaking during a debut business roundtable organised by the National University of Lesotho (NUL)’s World Trade Organization (WTO) Chair in Maseru this week.
One of the failings of the private sector, he said, was “the inherent obsession with proximity to power”.
“People spend time trying to get connections rather than trying to upgrade themselves to be able to deliver and build a reputation of being good at implementation. Instead, they just want to be proximate to those people who are in power,” Lesei said.
“Proximating” with those in power does not work because of the ever-shifting power dynamics. This was in reference to Lesotho’s ever fickle political structures that have seen the country recording a record five governments in a decade.
And when the power dynamics shift and some office bearers, such as Principal Secretaries, are ejected from government, those who would have focused on trying to align with them realise that they have lost their leverage. At that point, they must start rubbing shoulders with new office bearers.
Lesei said that people in business must make efforts to equip themselves with knowledge and information from documents, such as the National Strategic Development Plan, among others. Then they will understand the national vision and will be able to strategise on how to find a competitive niche within it.
Other stakeholders lamented that the government does not have well-researched plans and strategies that help to create a favourable environment for the private sector.
Private sector must stop aligning with politicians and focus on vital synergies
Lesenyeho Nkopane from the Junior Chamber said that young people are creative and energetic but they lack mentorship and knowledge. Therefore, they need guidance and assistance so that they can know how to channel their energies and innovations properly. Other challenges that were mentioned are funding gaps, corruption, and lack of coordination and partnerships.
Read more from Africa News 24
Standard Lesotho Bank sponsoring dreams with annual Car and Home Expo
Read more on the WTO
Dr Tsotang Tsietsi from the NUL WTO Chair explained that the Chair came up with the idea of the roundtable specifically to try to help the private sector.
“One of the mandates of the NUL WTO Chair is to create platforms for dialogue. This event does so in the context of facilitating for the private sector, public sector and academia to dialogue about the challenges that the private sector is facing. The intention is to collectively strategise on how to chart a way forward to assist the upliftment of the private sector in the interests of accelerated and sustainable development in Lesotho. An action plan has been devised and a small task team has been created to oversee its implementation. The roundtable will be held again next year and the progress that has been made with implementing the plan will be assessed,” Dr Tsietsi said.
