business

Sept. 19, 2019

KABELO MASOABI

2 min read

Economic growth requires foreign investment - Lehana

Economic growth requires foreign investment - Lehana

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MASERU - Lesotho is a country of lucrative investment opportunities with pint-sized competition in the international markets, the Minister of Trade and Industry Habofanoe Lehana has said.

Mr Lehana made the pronouncement during a business meeting that was held last week in Thailand where he pleaded with foreign investors to invest in Lesotho.

He said the visit to the Asian country was part of the Lesotho government’s strategic plan to boost Lesotho’s currently distressed economy.

Mr Lehana was part of a Lesotho delegation that was on a business trip to Thai capital, Bangkok to among others seek financial markets for local products.

The team had also accompanied Their Majesties King Letsie III and Queen ’Masenate Mohato Seeiso who had been invited to Thailand to attend the Simply Exceptional Gala Dinner event, as the guests of honour.

Mr Molapo said he told investors that apart from the textile trade that Lesotho was already engaged in with other major international markets such as the United States, sectors like tourism and commercial agriculture remained open for a larger scope of foreign investments.

He further advised the latter to take advantage of natural resources in Lesotho and to spot a variety of other opportunities that together with the Basotho could be developed to create jobs and wealth in the best interest of both parties.

“I showed them that this is a ‘both win’ situation where everybody can benefit while the government’s sole objective is to boost the troubled economy through the creation of businesses that will employ more Basotho. By pulling in more investors into the country is yet another strategic plan since the government has no muscle to employ all the people at the moment,” he explained on Tuesday speaking on the national television.

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For example, he said, investors were called in to invest in the cannabis manufacturing of which its first license was offered last year to an Australian company; Medi Kingdom, to cultivate cannabis medical grade.

During the launch of this trade, officiated by the Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, it was envisaged that having pioneered the first legal cannabis cultivation license in Lesotho, Medi Kingdom was to begin its commercial exports of the product to the world’s burgeoning legal markets such as Australia, Canada and Europe this year.

The project was expected to run for 20 years with the cash injection of about M550 million.

Lesotho became the first African country to legalise the growing of marijuana with over 50 licenses having been offered by this far.

“Thailand is one country that has been pursuing this kind of business for some time and its experience in that regard could come in handy to Lesotho,” he said.

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