18 Jun 2026

The successful implementation of the proposed Lesotho-South Africa-Botswana (LESABO) water transfer project will strengthen Botswana’s long-term water security, support industrial development and enhance regional integration, President Advocate Duma Boko has said.

Officiating at the inaugural session of the Botswana-Lesotho Bi-National Commission (BNC) held in Gaborone, he said the project would unlock broader economic opportunities for the participating countries.
President Boko said the project represented an opportunity for Botswana to confront challenges of water scarcity and seek sustainable solutions to energy needs.

“Lesotho’s extraordinary and abundant water resources present an asset of immense regional value,” he said. Meanwhile, while highlighting the BNC as a reflection of the exceptional relations and enduring friendship between the two nations, he said the platform offered an opportunity to deepen cooperation across vital sectors such as energy, trade and investment, agriculture and food security, natural resource management, education and training as well as defence and security.

He also emphasised that it was important for the two nations to harness the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).

In that regard, he said it was compelling for the two countries to leverage their complementary economic strengths by positioning themselves to participate in regional value chains in agriculture and food security. He said the emerging cannabis industry was also a promising opportunity for bilateral collaboration as Lesotho was an established regional pioneer in the development of a regulated cannabis sector, attracting investment and developing expertise across the full value chain.

In education and skills development, health, tourism, youth, culture and the creative industry, President Boko said there was abundant scope for collaboration in those areas.

On the other hand, he said Lesotho’s dynamic textile and manufacturing sector presented significant opportunities for increased trade, investment and industrial partnerships.

Meanwhile, Lesotho Prime Minister Mr Samuel Matekane highlighted that the BNC would serve as a beacon of partnership, ensuring that all collaborations were strategic, impactful and responsive to the citizenry of the two countries.

“Our engagement on high-impact areas of cooperation should unleash the full potential of our economies and of the unity of our peoples,” he said.

He said Botswana and South Africa should harness water from Lesotho to advance sustainable development and ensure water security and called for expediting the completion of the feasibility studies to pave way for moving to the design phase of the water transfer project. He said Lesotho possessed immense potential in renewable energy, particularly in hydropower, wind and solar resources.

“This endowment positions our nation as a key contributor to the region’s transition towards sustainable energy. In this regard, cooperation with Botswana offers a unique opportunity to complement our strength and build a shared future,” he said.

Equally, he concurred that Lesotho’s hydropower capacity, paired with Botswana’s vast solar potential, could create a powerful synergy that could advance regional energy security and support a collective response to climate change. Mr Matekane also thanked Botswana for the 100 000 doses of the Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine that the country donated to his homeland. ENDS