The Ministry of Local Government launched its new website www.localgovt.gov.ls  on Tuesday 23 January. The launch took place at the Maseru District Council offices.

The Ministry of Local Government Principal Secretary, ‘Me Moliehi Matabane, officially launched the site on behalf of the Honourable Minister of Local Government Dr Pontšo ΄Matumelo Sekatle. She told those gathered that the website represented a “major milestone in our endeavours to put at the disposal of all stakeholders communication channels through which we can all share information about the local government dispensation in Lesotho.”

‘Me Matabane sincerely thanked the United Nations Development Programme which provided financial, logistical and technical support for the website.

The UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, ‘Me Hodan Haji-Mohamud, congratulated the Ministry of the occasion. She highlighted the fact that the event was about more than a website. “It is an occasion to acknowledge the usefulness of ICT for strengthening and promoting democracy and for addressing some of the problems facing this country, such as poverty and HIV&AIDS pandemic. She also reminded those present that the website is “not limited to providing information on local governance; it also has the potential to be used for transmitting documents, forms and other sources of information which would usually require either posting or delivering by hand. This encapsulates the notion of using ICT for improved service delivery, for reducing the time it takes to disseminate information and for cost saving. “

The technical development and design of the website was carried out by a local company, Computer Business Solutions, which was also responsible for the Lesotho Government portal.

Those attending the launch included local government staff members from both the districts and the Ministry as well as representatives of the cooperating partners.

Source: Ministry of Local Government