Staff Reporter
A TEAM of six engineers from China arrived in Lesotho this week to carry out a preliminary research on the possibility of assisting Lesotho in building a fire-fighting station equipped with specialised vehicles, a waste treatment plant, an agricultural storage and trading centre.
On Monday morning, Lesotho’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Lesego Makgothi, received the Chinese delegation at his office in Maseru.
Also present were high-ranking officials from the ministries of Foreign Affairs; the Development Planning and Local Government and Chieftainship Affairs.
The reception ceremony was also attended by the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Lesotho, Sun Xianghua and officers from the Chinese Embassy in Lesotho.
Mr Makgothi warmly welcomed the Chinese team and expressed optimism that their research will bear positive results in the near future. He highlighted the necessity of improving Maseru’s fire-disaster response and fighting capacity, as well as its waste and garbage treatment capacity.
He said if left unmanaged, these would become public health and safety hazards.
The agricultural products storage and trading centre will help many farmers to increase their income in the long run and further resuscitate the local agricultural market.
Mr Makgothi also expressed his satisfaction at the implementation of the measures adopted under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Lesotho, saying these would bring more benefits to Basotho.
The governments of Lesotho and China recently reached agreement on building the Maseru District Hospital and Eye Clinic using a grant from the Chinese Government under FOCAC.
Meanwhile, China has also agreed to provide a concessional loan to help Lesotho build a tarred road from Ha Mpithi to Sekhalabatebe.
China has contributed enormously to Lesotho’s infrastructure development, including the Manthabiseng National Convention Centre, the Parliament, the State Library and Archive, the China-Lesotho Friendship Middle School at Thuathe and the new State House.
