According to Dr. Thabiso Molapo, Minister of Trade and Industry, trade policy’s top priorities right now include regional integration and export competitiveness, trade in services, trade facilitation, and trade and sustainable development.
At the event conducted in Maseru on Wednesday, he made this statement while introducing the National University of Lesotho World Trade Organization Chair.
Dr. Molapo expressed his gratitude to the National University of Lesotho for receiving the WTO Chair and expressed his satisfaction with the result, noting that he had previously supported the proposal.
He said other ministries will profit greatly from the establishment of this distinguished chair and pledged his ministry’s continuing support for the term of the NUL Chairmanship.
He emphasized that the Lesotho government, notably the Ministry of Trade and the private sector, will ultimately profit from the university’s capacity for research since they will have the knowledge to access policy formulation and innovation.
The National University of Lesotho (NUL) is honoured to have been chosen as a new Chair in Phase III of the WTO Chairs Programme, according to NUL WTO Chairholder, Assoc. Prof. Motlamelle Kapa.
He said that NUL is honoured to have been given the trust to join the network because this is a noteworthy program.
He emphasized that in order to be chosen, “we worked very hard, carefully choosing the pertinent issues to include in our work programme, consulting stakeholders to secure their inputs and support, and building a dedicated team that is equipped to advance Research, Curriculum Development, and outreach in international trade in Lesotho.”
The NUL WTO Chair Programme, according to Associate Professor Kapa, has a highly capable and committed team with a variety of expertise and abilities in trade facilitation under the WTO TFA, the relationship between trade and the environment, sustainable development, and e-commerce legislation.
The WTO Chairs program is a crucial part of the WTO’s technical assistance initiatives, according to the WTO’s Deputy Director General, H.E. Xiangchen Zhang.
Given that the WTO and the Chairs approach the same problems from different angles, he stated, “The Chairs Programme Network gives chances for reciprocal learning.”
He stated that not only at the national level, but also at the regional and cross-regional levels, the WTO Chairs’ participation in collaborative projects and activities had an effect.
He emphasized the need for more practical research and policy guidance to governments and other stakeholders by mentioning the significance of academic research for WTO negotiations.
He thus praised NUL and gave them the go-ahead to keep expanding their extensive network of working relationships with domestic and foreign research institutions both inside and outside of their nation.
Speaking in his own right, Mr. Fako Hakane, Secretary-General of the Lesotho Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), expressed his happiness that NUL had been given the WTO Chair and noted that as Chair, they had a mandate for growth that the private sector will benefit from.
He stated that these abilities ought to help LCCI become more productive, competitive, and capable of conducting more extensive commerce.
Therefore, he stated that LCCI is looking forward to discussing capacity building for micro, small, and medium firms in Lesotho, particularly those held by young people and women.
He pointed out that the Chair’s role includes outreach, and that only the government has had access to WTO knowledge through technical assistance programs.
In order to increase the capacity of academic and research institutions in developing countries in the field of international commerce, the Chairs Programme was launched in 2010.
It supports initiatives related to the three key pillars of outreach, curriculum development, and research.
Out of 136 universities worldwide, the National University of Lesotho’s Faculty of Law was chosen to serve as the WTO chair for a period of four years.