Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations of the Kingdom of Lesotho
Leads and coordinates the implementation of the Foreign Policy of Lesotho
A member of parliament from Hololo#2 constituency in Butha-Buthe , under the Revolution for Prosperity. Honourable Lejone Mpotjoana is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations succeeding Honourable ‘Matsepo Molise-Ramakoae. Honourable Lejone Mpotjoana holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in BCom Accounting from the National University of Lesotho. He is a Certified Business Continuity Lead Implementer with skills in Corporate Governance, Audit, Strategy Management, Risk Management, Coaching and Mentoring, as well as Policy Management. He is the Founding Manager of Lecholi (PTY) Ltd. In his career, he has served at the Lesotho Revenue Authority as Senior Risk Manager and Governance; at Botho University as Risk Management Industry Expert Advisor, Audit and Risk Management Committee of the Center for Accounting Studies, Risk and Compliance Committee at Lesotho Post Bank; Chair of the Board of the Lesotho Electricity Company; Chair of Board of the Institute of Directors of Lesotho; as well as a Board Member of the African Corporate Governance Network. Honourable Lejone Mpotjoana is an outstanding Farmer and a passionate Hiker.
Mr. Thabang Polycarp Lekhela has served as Deputy Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations for over two decades. A professional Diplomat and Public Servant whose diplomatic service spans beyond 30 years. He has extensive experience in political and economic diplomacy at both multilateral and bilateral platforms, having gained over the years a deep and thorough understanding of Lesotho’s foreign policy and national interests in this increasingly complex global arena.
During his tenure as Deputy Principal Secretary, Mr. Lekhela led the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in crafting the Foreign Policy and Strategic Plan, the establishment of diplomatic Missions in Ethiopia, Canada, Switzerland, Ireland and Malaysia. He is currently leading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs into establishing a professional career diplomatic service.
By 2025, Lesotho will be a peaceful, prosperous and globally competitive.
Promote and advance national interests internationally and protect Lesotho sovereignty and territorial integrity
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was established immediately after the political independence of Lesotho in 1966. Lesotho became independent at a time of significant global, regional and sub-regional uncertainties and instabilities. These uncertainties are due to: first, the politics of the Cold War and the competing interests of the super-powers which divided the globe into two rival ideological blocs, raising a serious prospect of nuclear military confrontation. Second, the social and political fluidity in the developing world, caused by the wars of decolonisation and the unconstitutional changes of government, particularly in Africa, were marked by military coups and wide-spread dictatorships. And third, the social, economic and military overtures posed by the system of Apartheid threatened the development, stability and independence of the states neighbouring South Africa, like Lesotho.
As a country which has only the Republic of South Africa as its neighbour, Lesotho relied heavily on the support of the international community and therefore placed great value on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an instrument of her policy to mobilise the necessary economic and political support from the international community and to ensure her survival as an independent sovereign state.
From the humble beginnings of two diplomatic missions abroad, understandably, one in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other at the seat of the United Nations in New York, USA; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has, today, grown significantly in coverage, to a total of twenty (15) Missions abroad, including four (4) Consulates.
At inception, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was concerned primarily with political issues, specifically aimed at ensuring the survival of Lesotho amid a volatile and uncertain security environment, particularly in the Southern Africa Region. However, following the end of the Cold War and the demise of Apartheid in the early 1990s, the key objectives and focus of the Ministry underwent fundamental overhaul, placing more emphasis on trade facilitation and mobilization of resources for economic development, including Official Development Assistance, Foreign Direct Investment, negotiation of economic partnerships, facilitation of employment of Basotho in International Organisations and procurement of placements for Lesotho Citizens in academic institutions of friendly foreign countries.
It is because of this fundamental change of focus that in 2007, the name of the Ministry was officially changed to “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations”. This was to take into account the expanded mandate of the ministry which was no longer limited to political issues but covered a wider spectrum of Lesotho’s national interests. Since 2007, it will be noted again that the two greatest challenges facing the Ministry have been those of resource constraints and the need to professionalise the Foreign Service, to equip the staff with the necessary skills they require to deliver on the diverse objectives and responsibilities of the Ministry.
Over time, the ministry has continued to grow significantly in terms of staff complement, scope of activities and therefore logistical and resource requirements. However, the trend has been an inverse relationship between the requirements and budget resource allocations to the ministry.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations is responsible for promoting and effectively representing Lesotho internationally, in order to attain sustainable development for the benefit of Basotho. The Ministry also serves as the focal point for the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), coordinating all the activities related to Lesotho’s obligations under the APRM.
In order to carry out its lofty mandate, the Ministry is organized into two programs, namely; Administration and International Cooperation. Administration incorporates the Offices of the Minister, the Principal Secretary and the supporting directorates; and is responsible for providing strategic direction and policy guidance as well as the financial and material resources necessary for the International Cooperation Directorates to carry out their mandate. The international cooperation directorates are divided into two categories of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, and are responsible for managing Lesotho’s relations with other countries as well as regional and international organisations.
• General Administration
• African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)
• Political Affairs- Africa and the Middle East
• Asia and the Pacific Realm
• Europe and Americas
• Multilateral Affairs
• Policy and Research
• Legal Affairs
• Consular Affairs
• Protocol
• Diaspora Affairs
• Lesotho New York
• Lesotho Washington
• Lesotho London
• Lesotho Addis Ababa
• Lesotho Ottawa
• Lesotho Berlin
• Lesotho Brussels
• Lesotho Geneva
• Lesotho Rome
• Lesotho Beijing
• Lesotho Pretoria
• Lesotho Dublin
• Lesotho New Delhi
• Lesotho Tokyo
• Lesotho Kuwait
• Johannesburg
• Durban
• Welkom
• Klerksdorp
• Serves as the APRM National Secretariat.
• Provides technical and administrative support to the National Governing Council (NGC) and implements its decisions;
• Organizes sensitization activities for the public throughout the country on the four APRM thematic areas namely;.
- democracy and political governance,
- Economic Governance and Management,
- Corporate Governance and
- socio-economic development
• Prepares and facilitates consultative engagements between the APRM Continental Secretariat and APRM Lesotho chapter and serves as a link between the two.
• Liaises with the cooperating partners on APRM youth programs and activities of the APRM.
• Facilitates, coordinates and supports the research work of the national technical research institutions on the four themes of the APRM;
• Translates Lesotho’s country reports into Sesotho language for local use; and
• Prepares Lesotho’s periodic reports on the progress made on the implementation of the APRM National Plan of Action (NPoA), for presentation to the APRM Forum of Heads of State and Government.
• Provision of economic and political advice
• Negotiation of bilateral agreements
• Mobilisation of ODA
• Facilitation of Economic growth and development initiatives
• Promotion of International relations and Joint Bilateral Commissions of Cooperation
• Facilitation of trade and investment promotion
• Liaison between missions, line ministries and parastatals
• Negotiation of Multilateral Agreements
• Signing, Ratification and accession of agreements
• Summits, Conferences and Meetings
• Coordination of participation of people in the Diaspora in Lesotho’s development efforts
Foreign Ministers From Independence Till Present
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