Lesotho Joins 50-in-5!
On May 05, 2024, Lesotho marked a significant milestone in their digital transformation journey by joining the global 50-in-5 campaign. Joining 50-in-5 emphasizes their commitment to implementing safe, inclusive and interoperable DPI to improve residents’ lives and accelerate the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Lesotho is the 14th country to announce participation in 50-in-5, which already includes Bangladesh, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Malawi, Moldova, Norway, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Togo. All participating countries will work together to share learnings and best practices that can help inform each others’s digital public infrastructure implementation journeys.
“This underscores the importance of our collective efforts in driving economic growth and fostering innovations through ICT initiatives. These monumental efforts will enable government departments and different sectors to draw up specific digital transformation strategies.” – Minister Nthati Moorosi, Minister of Communications, Science, Technology, and Innovation
For Lesotho’s Ministry of Communications, Science, Technology, and Innovation, being part of 50-in-5 means embracing digital cooperation. At their announcement event, Jacqueline Olewa, UNDP Resident Representative in Lesotho, said “Learning from others, while sharing our own experiences, will help fulfil our own digital public infrastructure ambitions in an inclusive way. An Innovation Hub is being created alongside the Ministry for Education at Lerotholi polytechnic to help promote innovators, ideas, and entrepreneurship, supported by UNDP and UNICEF. Through the campaign we will enact new enabling legislation, coordination of the DPI implementation plan across the government, and targeting women and youth to ensure readiness for the digitalization program.”
The Ministry Of Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation has already made progress in implementing a national digital ID and will continue to develop digital payments infrastructure as part of the 50-in-5 campaign.