The Ministry of Information, Communications, Science Technology and Innovation’s day two of the Consultation Strategic Workshop has focused on identifying environmental variables that impact departmental performance applying the Pestle and SWOD Analysis frameworks.
Some departments identified factors like change of leadership in government, political interference and budgets constraints to be contributing to poor departmental performance, while others identified prolonged approval of policies, research, broadcasting infrastructures and lack of media independence, citing the Windhoek 1991 declaration which was adopted in 2021 (Windhoek+30) aimed at addressing modern challenges facing media such as disruption, and economic crises, nonetheless participants formulated strategic interventions which would guide Ministry’s programmes and activities in the next triennium.
Radio Lesotho’s Acting Current Affairs Programmes Manager Mrs. ‘Mabatho Lithebe who acknowledges to have learned a lot from the workshop, articulates that when developing a strategy one needs to assess the operating system, considering key factors like the prevailing situational analysis.
Lithebe points out that the department has identified political, environment, economy and unavailability of technological infrastructure as key factors affecting LNBS performance, therefore making Basotho nationals unhappy about the quality of services being rendered.
Director State Library and Archives Mr. Motlalepula Lethibelane points out that when preparing the 2027/28-2029/30 Strategic Plan, it is important to firstly identify the challenges and to know how they would impact service delivery, and emphasizes the significance of comprehending stakeholders, since they also have expectations, noting specialists should be engaged, so that research is done both outside and inside the country to bring those overseeing various Departments up to speed with world affairs.
On the other hand, Director Lesotho Postal Services Mrs. Thato ‘Maleloko Nkhahle echoes the same sentiments by noting that the department has identified external factors ranging from political to the legal framework, since the department has for the longest time been operating under the old law of 1979, which needs to be reviewed since it no longer addresses modern demands.
“We have the desire to improve our postal services, since our traditional ones have been digitized as people no longer communicate with letters, therefore there is need to adapt to the evolving world”, she noted.
Furthermore, Acting Director Science, Technology and Innovation Mrs. ‘Mats’epo Mosoka states that the department has identified prolonged approval of policies as an external factor affecting performance, however acknowledges they have come up with an implication to expertide such an approval.
The workshop is being attended by nine departments in the Ministry of Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Government of Lesotho.