COUNTRY: LESOTHO.

In a decisive move to accelerate public service delivery and strengthen domestic resource mobilization, the Kingdom of Lesotho has embarked on a strategic South-South learning exchange with The Gambia. Led by the Right Honourable Speaker of the Lesotho Parliament, Hon. Tlohang Sekhamane, a high-level delegation—comprising parliamentary leaders and senior representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)—visited Banjul to examine The Gambia’s pioneering Government Development Financing (GDF) model. The GDF framework, deployed in tandem with UNDP, serves as a state-led financing mechanism engineered to channel national resources directly into high-priority development goals. During high-level engagements with Gambian cabinet ministers and civil service leadership, Speaker Sekhamane commended The Gambia’s success in driving grassroots social infrastructure and accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As highlighted in official reporting by the Government of Lesotho and coverage by The Voice Gambia, the bilateral discussions demonstrated how government-led financing frameworks can transform public administration from traditional donor dependency into self-sustained national execution.

At the center of Lesotho’s study mission is The Gambia’s flagship Programme for Accelerated Community Development (PACD), implemented under the nation’s broader “Yiriwa” economic blueprint to uplift vulnerable rural populations. By leveraging GDF mechanisms, the Gambian government has significantly expanded community access to clean water, off-grid electricity, and agricultural productivity tools while achieving a remarkable 218% increase in domestic revenue mobilization. During a courtesy call at State House in Banjul, Gambian President Adama Barrow emphasized that providing essential public services forms an unbreakable social contract between the state and its citizens. Highlighting regional coverage of UNDP peer-learning initiatives documented by The Calabash Newspaper and official updates from the Office of the President of The Gambia, the exchange provided Maseru with concrete blueprints for aligning parliamentary oversight with efficient public procurement and domestic fiscal management.

This bilateral exchange underscores a growing momentum across the African continent to utilize intra-African knowledge-sharing as a primary driver for sustainable economic transformation. For Lesotho, adapting lessons from The Gambia’s GDF and community development programs offers a vital roadmap to bolster its own National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP II) and enhance local government capacity. As UNDP continues to facilitate these inter-state partnerships, both nations are establishing a benchmark for how targeted public sector reforms, fiscal sovereignty, and peer-to-peer cooperation can yield tangible development outcomes for local communities. By translating Gambian best practices into actionable policy tools in Maseru, Lesotho reaffirms its commitment to building resilient financial architecture and improving the quality of life for all Basotho.

PHOTO SOURCE: GOVERNMENT OF LESOTHO
Author: Randy Lawson.