The Minister of Public Works and Transport, Honourable Matjato Moteane, earlier today challenged the Roads Directorate Board to strategize on how best to meet the Government's employment target.

In his address, Honourable Moteane emphasized the critical need for robust strategies to combat Lesotho’s alarmingly high youth unemployment rate. He urged the Board to expand the use of labour-intensive techniques, particularly in road maintenance and to also target the creation of at least 6,000 jobs within the roads sub-sector in the current fiscal year.

Highlighting the stark reality that youth unemployment officially stands at 50%, significantly above the national average of 30%, the Minister conveyed the Government’s concern and the direct mandate from the Prime Minister for decisive action.

"This is not merely a directive; it is an urgent national priority that demands immediate and innovative responses from every sector” the Honourable Minister stated. "With this year’s capital injection, the Roads Directorate is expected to respond directly to the call to create youth employment," the Minister stressed, adding that successfully using this budget to generate jobs will stimulate economic recovery.

The Honourable Minister said that the Roads Directorate has been positioned at the forefront of this national drive, having been allocated a substantial capital budget of M2.4 billion for the current fiscal year, which is 30% of the total Government budget.

Following Honourable Moteane's address, the Board affirmed its commitment to providing an oversight in the development of the strategy for job creation for Lesotho’s youth, while ensuring full alignment with all relevant laws and policies.

 

Ends

 

 | About us: The Roads Directorate is a semi-autonomous government institution legally established in 2010. The Directorate is mandated with planning, development and maintenance of the road network and carrying out quality assurance of all roads.

 

 

Issued by:                Nozesolo Mpopo                                                                              

Corporate Communication Manager                                                                                          Corner Senate and Lepoqo Streets, Industrial Area, Maseru                                                  Tel: 522229000/22229000                                                                                              
E-mail: mpopon@rd.org.ls