LESOTHO will on October 13-14 participate in the 27th Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts of Southern Africa (ICSOE) meeting, a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) policy sub-organ of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

The Committee was established to provide a forum for engaging senior officials and experts of member states on policy and programme-related matters in each of the five sub regions of Africa – Central, Eastern, North, Southern and West.
The 27th ICSOE meeting will be held in a hybrid format- virtual and physical, in capitals of member states of SRO-SA and in Blantyre, Malawi.

According to the Public Relations Manager of the Ministry of Finance, Keneuoe Mojaki, the main objectives of the meeting is to deliberate on statutory matters, including review economic and social conditions in southern Africa with focus on the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-pandemic responses.
The meeting, she said will also look into providing a high-level platform to reflect on the recommendations of the Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting (AEGM) on Agriculture value chains, linkages and transformation in southern Africa which will see opportunities from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for endorsement and to provide guidance on their implementation.