Former Ambassador to Ireland and Scandinavian countries S’khulumi Ntsoaole has delivered a scathing critique of successive Lesotho governments, accusing them of weak leadership, lack of accountability, and a chronic failure to seize opportunities that could have propelled the nation’s development.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, Ntsoaole who has served as Ambassador to Ireland and the Scandinavian countries over the past six years, a Minister of Trade and Industry, and in senior political roles, warned that the country’s stagnant progress is a direct result of leadership that prioritises personal gain over national interest.
“We need leadership that is serious on national issues. We lack such leadership,” he declared. “A party like the Basotho Action Party may try, but its leader is not the leader of the government. We need a visionary leader who has an understanding of what needs to happen.”
Losing a friend in Ireland
Ntsoaole, who represented Lesotho in Ireland, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, says his diplomatic posting offered him a unique vantage point to assess the nation’s potential and weaknesses.
“When you look at your country from an outside vantage point, it feels like you are seeing the country from above. You are able to see its strengths and shortcomings,” he reflected.
He believes Lesotho is blessed with more natural endowments than many small nations, yet has consistently failed to harness them for the benefit of its people. One of the most painful examples, he says, is the collapse of the country’s special relationship with Ireland, a country historically inclined to support Lesotho because of shared struggles against powerful neighbours.
“The Irish have had Lesotho in their hearts since 1975 when they mounted an embassy here. But we failed to capitalise on this,” he lamented.
The tipping point, according to Ntsoaole, was Lesotho’s inability to meet accountability standards.
“They said, ‘We have been helping you since 1975 but you fail to account when we ask you to, and there is no need to be helping you.’ So we lost our friend Ireland.”
Even when he invited the government to visit Ireland to strengthen ties, there was no response, Ntsoaole alleged.
“Instead they were visiting nearby countries, and I would engage the Irish government and they would say, ‘We hear you, but where are your principals?’”
He noted that the only high-level visit came last year during His Majesty’s tour to promote renewable energy initiatives, by which time, his own diplomatic term had already lapsed.
Six years for nothing
Ntsoaole’s diplomatic tour lasted six years, yet he describes it as a wasted opportunity.
“Six years, six years for nothing. The items we brought home were left until they collapsed.” While he does not regret his appointment, “Personally I benefitted, although I had wanted Basotho to benefit, ” he is clear that the nation missed a critical chance to secure development partnerships.
Back home, Ntsoaole has taken up a leadership role within the Basotho Action Party’s (BAP) executive committee, responsible for foreign affairs. He says discipline in politics is crucial: “It is not doing as one pleases but appreciating that the nation is hungry and is looking up to you. So many people join politics for self-enrichment.”
The AGOA lifeline and its risks
Shifting to trade policy, Ntsoaole warned that Lesotho’s over-reliance on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is dangerous, especially given the lack of capacity to sustain textile exports without it. AGOA, a US law that allows certain African countries to export apparel duty-free to the US, was renewed in 2015 partly thanks to Ntsoaole’s lobbying efforts as Minister of Trade.
“I raised the issue of AGOA’s impending expiration in Ethiopia, and to my surprise, many African Ministers appeared casual about it,” he recalled. Supported by then South African Trade Minister Rob Davies, Ntsoaole was chosen to travel to Washington, D.C., with counterparts from Gabon and Mauritius to make the case before Congress. Their efforts succeeded, securing a ten-year extension.
However, Ntsoaole stresses that AGOA can be revoked at any time and has not been used to build long-term capacity. “Our countries struggle to mature in business because we only have factory shells, water, and electricity, which are insufficient under WTO standards. This means African countries, including Lesotho, cannot compete globally.”
He says AGOA was a chance to acquire machinery, skills, and design capabilities—but Lesotho failed to negotiate these benefits. “We did not negotiate for skills transfer, perhaps deliberately. There is a mentality of ‘let’s keep them hungry so that they will vote for us.’”
Slave wages in the 21st century
For Ntsoaole, one of the most glaring failures is the state of the textile industry, which employs thousands yet leaves most workers in poverty.
“It cannot be that when people earn M2,000 per month, they are considered to be working. They have been made to feel as if they are working, but that is a slave wage. How much is electricity? What about rent and other expenses? They are not truly working; that is slavery in the 21st century.”
He argues that low wages suppress domestic demand, making it impossible to grow a self-sustaining market.
“We lack consumption capacity because of low wages. We do not know how to consume our products as Americans do theirs, because they have the buying power due to higher salaries. Even their social security grants exceed what a paid employee earns in Lesotho.”
The missed regional market
Ntsoaole believes Lesotho’s fixation on distant markets like the U.S. has prevented it from taking advantage of regional opportunities.
“We had hoped that by now we would have gradually moved away from AGOA by strengthening the regional market, which comprises approximately 300 million people across all SADC countries. This market is sufficient to meet our needs, but we lack the capacity to consume because of low wages.”
He said the path forward lies in building production capacity within SADC, then expanding to other African blocs before competing globally. “We are talking about a market of 1.2 billion people. America has a population of 320 million, yet they consume more than our entire continent combined. Therefore, we should negotiate truthfully as SADC or as a continent.”
Colonial mentality and the need for unity
At the heart of Ntsoaole’s critique is what he calls a “colonial mentality” that still shapes African politics and trade.
“It seems we are held back by a colonial mentality, as we are all looking to America instead of engaging with one another.”
He says that until African nations negotiate collectively and prioritise regional integration, they will remain vulnerable to the whims of foreign powers.
While he acknowledges the enormity of the challenge, Ntsoaole insists change is possible. “Yes, there is hope to change the status quo, but it requires the SADC bloc or the continent as a whole to act together.
“We need a visionary leader who understands what needs to happen. Leadership is not about enriching yourself while the nation starves. It is about discipline, accountability, and the courage to negotiate for the benefit of your people,” he concluded.
Summary
- Former Ambassador to Ireland and Scandinavian countries S’khulumi Ntsoaole has delivered a scathing critique of successive Lesotho governments, accusing them of weak leadership, lack of accountability, and a chronic failure to seize opportunities that could have propelled the nation’s development.
- Speaking in an exclusive interview, Ntsoaole who has served as Ambassador to Ireland and the Scandinavian countries over the past six years, a Minister of Trade and Industry, and in senior political roles, warned that the country’s stagnant progress is a direct result of leadership that prioritises personal gain over national interest.
- ” While he does not regret his appointment, “Personally I benefitted, although I had wanted Basotho to benefit, ” he is clear that the nation missed a critical chance to secure development partnerships.
