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Lesotho's Prime Minister arrives in Zimbabwe for SADC Summit

by Staff reporter
15 Aug 2024 at 13:02hrs | Views
Lesotho's Prime Minister Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane has arrived at Robert Mugabe International Airport ahead of the SADC Summit for Heads of State and Government scheduled for Saturday. He was welcomed at the airport by Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe.

Lesotho has a long history of involvement in regional environmental and land management initiatives. In November 1981, the Council of Ministers of the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) entrusted Lesotho with coordinating regional activities related to Soil and Water Conservation and Land Utilization (SWCLU). This responsibility led to the establishment of the SWCLU Sector Coordination Unit within Lesotho's Ministry of Agriculture, Co-operatives, and Marketing in 1985.

In August 1991, the SADCC Council of Ministers broadened Lesotho's mandate to include overall environmental coordination within the SADC region, renaming the sector as the SADC Environment and Land Management Sector (ELMS). Lesotho’s role in this area underscores its commitment to sustainable development and environmental stewardship within the region.

Lesotho, a country with a total land area of 30,355 square kilometers, is the 141st largest nation globally and shares its entire border with South Africa. With a population of 2.3 million as of August 2024, Lesotho's economy is primarily driven by agriculture, mining, and water exports, contributing to a gross domestic product (GDP) of approximately US$2.2 billion. Sesotho and English are the official languages, though other languages such as Phuthi, Xhosa, and Zulu are also widely spoken.

Source - The Herald