Definition of Data

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Main Focus of Document

Government's strategy for promoting and facilitating broadband expansion and utilisation by both public and private sectors.

Target Beneficiaries or Sector

public sector; private sector

Key Elements

This policy shows the government's plan to assist in the development of the broadband sector to ensure: (1) better communications and access to information; (2) economic growth and sustainable development; and (3) better health, education and employment opportunities. This will, in turn, stimulate external investment and, by extension, economic growth. 

Some key details include:
The overall objectives of the National Broadband Policy are to facilitate the earliest and widest level of adoption of broadband within Lesotho by establishing the settings to drive broadband infrastructure investment, the development of services and applications and ensuring widespread and affordable access by all sectors of the economy and society.  Through broadband, the Lesotho economy will be transformed and made more competitive in regional and global terms, and society in Lesotho will find new means of integration, connection and inclusion. 

Listed below are the policy outcomes that the government expects to see achieved in a material way during the next five years:
- Achieve higher economic growth and economic efficiency while ensuring sustainability  
- Contribute to the increased economic welfare of Lesotho and its people, while maintaining economic growth at an annual rate of no less than 5% 
- Create sustainable employment opportunities and enrich and enhance jobs  
- Make Lesotho known and attractive for commercial activity and investment 
- Achieve higher economic efficiency in terms of transactions, processes and effectiveness 
- Promote social growth and cohesion 
- Advance social inclusion and cohesion in all ways, especially through modern communications 
- Preserve Lesotho’s cultures and traditions through the use of new technologies 
- Promote community ownership and support for continued and improved broadband services through improved access and usage  
- Provide high speed broadband access for all communities, schools, homes and businesses in Lesotho 
- Enhance public and private sector efficiency and performance 
- Improve efficiency, effectiveness and reach of government services through specific e-government initiatives 
- Provide broadband enhanced business and community services by both the private and public sectors 
- Improve efficiency and productivity of all sectors of the economy  
- Facilitate ICT and general education through broadband 
- Deliver broadband-enhanced education in all schools including the development of relevant ICT skills at all educational levels resulting in curriculum extension, choice and improved quality of education 
- Increase ICT understanding and skills of the entire population, especially to ensure that skills are developed to match future economic needs 
- Improve health service delivery 
- Provide broadband-enhanced health services to all communities through remote diagnostics, enhanced professional assistance to field health care providers, coordinated patient databases and access by people and professionals to better medical information online 
- Enhance global integration and international relations 
- Connect Lesotho businesses and communities with the world 
- Enable easy and affordable access to markets and counterparties overseas, reducing the cost of doing business 
- Increase trade opportunities with overseas countries 
- Improvement in the efficiency of key sectors of the economy, and especially for primary resources and agriculture 
- Enable advisory services to be more effective in reaching farmers particularly in terms of interactivity 
- Enable guidance to be more effective primary production and higher yields 
- Extend resources to be available to all producers in the primary sector of the economy 

Policy/Regulation Mirrors

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