Lesotho’s shift to digital government services has cleared its first milestone, with officials cautioning that full back-end automation will come in stages as each phase is tested and validated.
Lesotho’s push to move government services online has reached its first stage, with officials saying more improvements will follow until the entire process is fully automated behind the scenes.
Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation (MICSTI), Kanono Ramashamole, said e-services will go through several stages of development before they are fully linked to government back-end systems. He made the remarks on Wednesday while officiating a validation exercise for the new e-services platform at the ICT boardroom. Representatives from different government ministries attended the meeting, with Ramashamole joining virtually.
Speaking to participants, the Principal Secretary explained that this first phase is about testing whether the initial system works as intended. MICSTI is leading the project as the front-desk ministry responsible for digital services.
“This is the first stage of automation. We want to check if it is successful before moving to the next level. If this project succeeds, it will help cut down long queues and make it easier for Basotho to access government services.”
Cross-ministry cooperation required
Director General of Information Communications Technology, Thapeli Tjabane, also addressed the meeting and stressed that digitising government services is not a one-day job. He said it requires support and cooperation across all ministries and departments.
Tjabane added that MICSTI has been working with partners such as Computer Business Solutions (CBS), who provided training and demonstrated how the system will work from start to finish. The training is meant to ensure that government staff understand how to use the platform and support citizens once it goes live.
Less paperwork, faster service
One of the participants, Ts’ebeletso Mofolise from the Ministry of Public Service, said the project will help improve record-keeping and reduce manual paperwork.
“This system will make it easier to record data accurately and reduce the amount of manual work staff have to do. It will save time for both government workers and the public.”
The ICT department within MICSTI is leading the rollout of e-services and is working closely with other ministries to speed up the shift to online service delivery. Ministries involved in the current phase include Home Affairs, Public Service, Public Works and Transport, and Finance, among others.
Officials said the goal is to eventually allow citizens to apply for documents, pay fees, and access other services online without having to visit government offices in person. For now, the validation exercise will help identify any gaps and ensure the system is ready for wider use.
MICSTI said more updates and training sessions will follow as the project moves to the next stages of automation.
