Lesotho hosts accountability summit to improve service delivery – SABC News

The Kingdom of Lesotho is holding a three-day Accountability Summit in the capital, Maseru. The summit aims to be a platform where ordinary citizens, professionals and business communities can raise concerns, pose questions and interact with all senior government officials in one room.

In a quest to decisively deal with sluggish service delivery, the Kingdom of Lesotho is piloting a system that enables citizens to have direct access to senior officials, all convened in a single room.

From the Prime Minister to senior accounting officer, every question, comment or query is given the necessary attention is deserves. From the issuing of passports, payment system of service providers to deteriorating diplomatic relations with its neighbour South Africa.

“Starting soon, every applicant whose passport is already printed will now receive an sms alerting them of their application status without the need to physically go to the office. Afterwards, the ministry is further  announcing that new applications will now only take four days,” says Lesotho Prime Minister Sam Matekane.

Matekane says the government will be integrating and closely monitoring the efficiency of the payment system to its service providers, and how smaller constructors can benefit from big projects.

“I have asked, in fact, instructed these people that when they work with the local businesses , already supplying construction materials should be sub-constructed.”

With the new preliminary census statistics showing a slight population growth, the government says it needs to be more meticulous in its initiatives in economic planning, especially for the population residing in the rural areas.

“Well, if the two thirds of our nation live in the far flung communities, it then says we need to reconsider our strategy of service delivery in order to cater for the majority our citizens,” says Lesotho Deputy Prime Minister Nthomeng Majara.

Meanwhile, the recent tensions with undocumented immigrants in South Africa is forcing a revisit to the bilateral relationship with its only neighbour.

“And we need to remind ourselves as to where we come from with South Africa, that in Lesotho and South Africa’s history, have  we not suffered a loss in territorial boundaries, are we now saying we should just accept our losses, despite the predicament of hunger and desperation it forced Basotho into,” says Lesotho Foreign Affairs Minister Limpho Tau.

Lesotho government believes that a summit of this nature will create an enabling environment that attracts investment, encourages entrepreneurships and foster productive partnerships between the public and private sectors.