Moroke Sekoboto
THE Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development, in collaboration with the Lesotho National Single Window (LNSW), has announced the successful onboarding of four more government agencies onto the LNSW system.
The LNSW is a one-stop electronic platform for applying for and issuing various regulatory approvals required for international trade.
Effective from 17 October 2025, the newly added agencies are the Ministry of Tourism for Liquor Import Permits, the Ministry of Health’s Department of Pharmaceuticals for Import and Export Permits of Psychotropic Drugs and Narcotics as well as Medicines and Medical Devices, the Ministry of Health’s Department of Environmental Health for Permits of Non-Iodated Salt and Human Remains, and the Ministry of Works and Transport’s Department of Traffic for Cross-Border Permits.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development this week, the expansion marks the second phase of the national rollout, following the successful integration of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Livestock, Marketing and Agricultural Research and the Lesotho National Dairy Board in August 2025.
“The Lesotho National Single Window is designed to simplify and modernise cross-border trade processes by providing a single online platform for traders to apply for permits.
“It reduces processing time and costs, improves coordination among government agencies, and enhances the integrity and security of trade documents through QR-coded permits that meet global standards.”
The ministry further announced that traders are encouraged to begin using the LNSW to apply for relevant permits starting Monday, 20 October 2025, as the transition to full electronic processing continues. By the end of November 2025, all permits for these agencies will be processed exclusively through the LNSW.
