LESOTHO CALLS FOR AFFORDABLE INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIVITY FOR LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES TO ENSURE THEY ARE NOT LEFT BEHIND IN THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AGENDA.

Lesotho called on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to prioritize affordable international connectivity for landlocked and small countries to ensure that they are not left behind in the digital transformation agenda.

Minister of Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Nthati Moorosi, made the call when delivering Lesotho’s policy statement at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-26) in Doha, Qatar.

Minister Moorosi said landlocked countries faced additional connectivity costs because they had to invest in their own networks while also paying for international transit services to access the rest of the world.

She said Lesotho had therefore joined other African Member States in endorsing all 49 African Common Proposals to the conference.

The Minister highlighted Lesotho’s progress in expanding connectivity, particularly in underserved mountain communities, as well as connecting high schools and tertiary institutions through computer laboratories.

“Lesotho has also licensed a non-geostationary satellite service provider to complement existing terrestrial networks and extend connectivity to areas that could not easily be reached through fibre and mobile towers”, she emphasized.

She further noted that the country’s Broadband and Infrastructure Sharing Policy was aimed at reducing the cost of extending connectivity to communities that remained unconnected.

With support from the ITU, Lesotho was also developing a National Emergency Telecommunications Plan to ensure that communication networks remained available during emergencies.

On digital transformation, Hon. Moorosi said government had expanded electronic public services and approved the National Digital Transformation Strategy, Artificial Intelligence Policy and Data Management Policy.

She said the Ministry was also introducing a Farmers Registration System and an artificial intelligence chatbot for agricultural extension services, with support from the ITU.

In addition, Lesotho had started the first phase of its National Compute Roadmap, developed with support from the United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (UN ODET).

She said the country was also advancing its cybersecurity and cybercrime legislation as part of efforts to strengthen digital security.

As the conference considers the ITU Strategic Plan for 2027 to 2030, Minister Moorosi called on the Union to prioritize three key areas, namely affordable international connectivity for landlocked and small states, capacity building to enable Member States to benefit from emerging technologies and measuring success through tangible results in countries most in need.

She emphasized that capacity building was important to ensure that countries developed the skills and resources needed to harness emerging technologies rather than remain consumers of such technologies.

“Lesotho stands ready to play its part, as a partner and as a voice for those still waiting to be connected,” she said.

The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference is a major gathering of the Union’s Member States, where they consider the organization’s strategic direction, policies and priorities for the coming years.

Source: Lesotho News Agency [LENA]