…as nationwide consultations shape 2027/28 fiscal plan
Moroke Sekoboto
JOB creation and youth employment, agriculture and food security, roads and infrastructure, industrialisation, private sector development, water and irrigation, electricity access, tourism development and health services have emerged as the country’s top priorities for the 2027/28 national budget following nationwide pre-budget consultations.
The consultations, held across all 10 districts and culminating in a national forum at Victory Hall in Maseru yesterday, brought together government officials, development partners, private sector representatives, academics and civil society to map out spending priorities for the next fiscal year.
Anchored on the National Strategic Development Plan II (NSDP II), participants agreed that future public spending must be directed towards transforming Lesotho from a consumption-driven economy into a productive, self-sufficient and climate-resilient one.
The forum examined the country’s economic challenges and explored strategies to stimulate growth, create jobs, promote innovation, strengthen climate resilience and improve fiscal sustainability.
Speaking at the consultation, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning Budget Controller, Maleshoane Lekomola-Danziger, said Lesotho had made notable progress in budget transparency, public participation and parliamentary oversight between 2023 and 2025 through reforms aimed at improving accountability.
She said this year’s consultations built on those gains by expanding public participation to all districts and actively engaging young innovators.
“The 2027/28 consultations build on the progress made through open budget reforms, citizen participation, district consultations, proposal submissions and the Budget Strategy Paper process.
“This participatory budgeting framework provides a direct mechanism for incorporating citizen priorities and innovative solutions into the national budgeting process,” Ms Lekomola-Danziger said.
She said the consultations consistently identified nine priority areas requiring increased government investment: job creation and youth employment, agriculture and food security, roads and infrastructure, industrialisation, private sector development, water and irrigation, electricity access, tourism development and health services.
LNDC Head of Strategy, Planning and Research, ‘Mamoiloa Raphuthing, said agriculture featured prominently throughout the discussions because of its central role in reducing Lesotho’s dependence on imports.
She said participants agreed that agriculture should move beyond subsistence farming and become a commercially driven sector capable of creating jobs, reducing poverty and increasing exports.
“The statistics show that Lesotho is largely a consuming country, with food imports accounting for about 60 percent of our needs. We continue to lose billions of maloti importing products such as poultry and grain that can be produced locally.
“The market already exists. It is now time to intentionally develop value-chain agriculture to improve food security, reduce poverty, create jobs and increase exports. We must first ensure food availability for Basotho before exporting surpluses.”
Ms Raphuthing also called for the establishment of a consolidated agricultural fund to bring together existing financing mechanisms and support a wider range of agricultural products.
She said such a fund would revitalise the sector and accelerate commercial production.
The discussions also highlighted digital transformation as an essential tool for modernising agriculture, with participants stressing the need to ensure farmers across the country benefit from digital technologies and improved connectivity.
Representing young people, Limpho Matlakala, said youth participation should extend beyond accessing funding.
“We are often consulted only when funding is available, but there is nothing for young people without young people.
“Youths must be involved from the planning stage through implementation and evaluation. That is how we demonstrate that young people are capable of sustaining development initiatives,” Ms Matlakala said.
Participants also stressed that education should better support agricultural production and national development by aligning training programmes with labour market needs.
On human capital development, speakers criticised the current education system for failing to adequately respond to the country’s economic priorities.
Council on Higher Education representative Motlalepula Khobotlo called for strengthening of higher learning institutions, while UNICEF Deputy Country Representative Dr Bob Mchabaiwa urged greater investment in Early Childhood Development.
Dr Mchabaiwa said only between 0.2 and 0.4 percent of the Ministry of Education and Training’s budget was currently allocated to early childhood education.
Participants also called for greater investment in research, innovation and artificial intelligence, arguing that both lecturers and researchers require additional training to equip graduates with skills relevant to today’s economy.
They further proposed consolidating funding to enable the Council on Higher Education to absorb institutions such as Lesotho Agricultural College and the National Health Training College so that programmes are better aligned with current labour market demands.
The discussions also recommended modernising secondary education curricula to equip learners with practical and technical skills needed in the modern economy.
Participants agreed that education should be viewed as a strategic investment capable of driving youth development, productivity and long-term economic growth.
Infrastructure development also featured prominently during the consultations.
Participants called for expanded investment in electricity generation, transmission and distribution to improve energy reliability, lower costs and increase green energy production.
Recommendations included upgrading electricity networks, installing smart meters, improving power generation and strengthening monitoring systems to reduce electricity theft.
The forum also advocated integrated infrastructure planning to ensure coordinated investment across government sectors and minimise duplication.
There were further calls for greater investment in information and communication technology (ICT) and workforce development to support digital transformation and improve public sector efficiency.
Participants emphasised that climate-resilient infrastructure should become a national priority, with increased investment in green energy projects, flood and drought mitigation, and disaster preparedness.
Other issues discussed included innovation and digital transformation, private sector competitiveness, trade and investment, climate change adaptation and sustainable job creation.
