Pascalinah Kabi
FORMER Lesotho PostBank chief compliance officer, Molise Ramaili, has been appointed the interim chief executive officer of the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC).
Advocate Ramaili will remain in an interim position until the High Court rules on whether or not former LNDC CEO Mohato Seleke was legally relieved of the post. Trade and Industry Minister Thabiso Molapo refused to renew Mr Seleke’s contract after its expiration last September. He then took the minister to court alleging that his refusal to renew his contract was illegal. Although Mr Seleke has since been appointed to head the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC), his court case against the LNDC is yet to be adjudicated to finality.
Advocate Ramaili’s appointment is with effect from Monday.
He told the Lesotho Times yesterday that he was ready to roll up his sleeves and turn around the fortunes of the LNDC.
“I am reading the strategy of the LNDC in my first week at work,” Adv Ramaili said.
“I am looking at the processes, governance structures and I am studying the staff because I want to know the culture of the organisation and how it works.’
Among his strategies is ensuring that the LNDC promotes small, medium and micro enterprises. While the LNDC has big projects like the construction of the Tikoe and Belo factory shells, to be occupied by textile factories, he said he already had “some strategies in terms of how I want to change the LNDC”.
“I’m thinking; what are we doing as the LNDC to make sure that we promote the small and medium enterprises for Basotho? It’s good that factories that are owned by foreign investors are creating jobs, but what are we doing to empower those Basotho who want to run their own enterprises?
“What are we doing to assist the student who just graduated from the National University of Lesotho (NUL) to get a job? That person has an idea in terms of what they want to achieve, what are we doing to assist that person and those small businesses? That is what I’m going to drive now.”
He would also look at strategies to diversify the LNDC portfolio with a particular focus on bringing international investors to run big companies to promote the information technology (IT) sector.
“That is one of my focus areas. I want to diversify the LNDC’s portfolio, not to focus on one line of business. I believe there is so much that can be done. That is why I’m saying let me slow down to first understand what is on the ground before I start running and implementing some of the concepts that I will be bringing, which are different from what has been happening traditionally.
“I’m a young person, so I am passionate about how I want to help other young people to grow. We can see so many people are not working out there. People are frustrated, how are we assisting young people to feel like they’re part of this economy, to feel that corporations like the LNDC, which are in charge of the development of this country, are giving them hope,” Adv Ramaili said.
