Allow me to pay my respects to His Majesty King Letsie III and Her Majesty the Queen ‘Masenate,

The Right Honourable the Prime Minister, Ntsokoane Sam Matekane,

Honourable Ministers in His Majesty’s Cabinet, in particular,

The Honourable Minister of Education and Training, Prof. Ntoi Rapapa

The Honourable Minister of Energy, Prof. Nqosa Mahao

Their Excellencies Heads of Diplomatic missions and international organisations and members of their teams, and particularly the representatives of the embassies of Finland and Sweden,

Representatives of Government Ministries,

Representatives of academic and training institutions, in particular

Prof. Sola Fajana, the Vice Chancellor of National University of Lesotho

Representatives from the NUL’s Energy Research Centre;

Representatives from the Bethel Business and Community Development Centre (BBCDC),

Representatives from the University of Turku, Finland

Representatives from Linnaeus University, Sweden

Representatives from Aalto University Finland

Representatives of Civil Society Organisations,

Representatives of the Private Sector

Representatives of the Media,

Bo-‘M’e le Bo-Ntate,

All participants in today’s event,

Khotsong,

It is a great pleasure for me to join you today for the official launch of the Low-Carbon Economy Transformation through Sustainable Energy Modernization and Access in Lesotho (LETSEMA) project.

The Erasmus + programme is a flagship programme of the European Union. Created in 1987, it promotes closer cooperation between universities and higher education institutions across Europe. Over time, the programme has expanded in its breadth and depth and is now known as “Erasmus+”. Its extended form is a broad umbrella framework which combines former EU’s different schemes for transnational cooperation and mobility in education, training, youth and sport in Europe and its partner countries.

All 27 Member States contribute to the Erasmus+ programme financially and academic institutions across the European Union translate the programme in reality. It is one of the best examples of Team Europe, bringing together different stakeholders to foster higher education in Europe and abroad. Today the representatives of the Embassies of Finland and Sweden are joining in the event as two of their finest universities are participating in the LETSEMA Project, but we collectively stand in for the whole Team Europe.

The European Union is a steadfast supporter of the vision of a renewable Lesotho, which becomes ever more reliant on clean energy, harnessing the enormous potential of water, sun and wind with which this country is endowed. Under this initiative, as part of the Global Gateway, Europe’s strategy to boost smart, clean and secure connections across different sectors, the European Union has been supporting Lesotho with capacity development, policy and regulatory advice as well as financial support for infrastructure development.

It is therefore only fitting that the LETSEMA Programme complements the actions that the EU is already supporting in the country to help Lesotho translate into reality the vision of sustainable access to all to clean energy and of energy independence. In the recent budget speech the commitment was made that Lesotho will reach the SDG 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all) by 2030 – for this to materialise we need all hands on deck.

The programme will strengthen the sustainable energy ecosystem in Lesotho by providing equitable, digital and future-oriented education on sustainable energy that promotes inclusiveness, diversity and creation of green jobs. Project activities are focusing on developing management, administration, monitoring and evaluation capacities and improving equitable access to digital and hands-on learning opportunities in the field of sustainable energy.

Before I conclude my remarks and before thanking all involved I will now give the floor to:

Mr. Martin Jörnrud, Trade and Economic Counsellor at the Embassy of Sweden

Ms. Iina Soiri, Education and Science Counsellor at the Embassy of Finland

Thank you to both of you.

============================

Let me now conclude with a few additional short remarks

This is the first time that higher education institutions in Lesotho have been able to secure funding under the Erasmus+ Capacity-Building in Higher Education programme. In the past individuals could benefit from scholarships and fellowships but this is the first programme where institutions stand to benefit directly

This demonstrates that collective collaborative efforts pay off and that programmes of excellence have a chance to be rewarded in the extremely competitive selection under Erasmus+ criteria. I therefore praise the extraordinary dedication and commitment of the National University of Lesotho (NUL), Bethel Business and Community Development Centre (BBCDC), Lesotho, the University of Turku, Finland, Linnaeus University, Sweden. I understand it was not the first time they were presenting a proposal but they managed to elaborate the right programme at the right time.

This projects crowns all the efforts, over the last years, to make NUL a centre of excellence when it comes to renewable energy research thanks also to the leadership of Prof. Mahao during his time as Vice-Chancellor.

I am very proud that the EU in the past supported the creation of the MSc in Sustainable Energy, which is today a lasting and successful legacy, with its new graduates filling the ranks of public and private energy sector players around the country and beyond!

I hope that a few years from now we can celebrate a similar programme for water management training, as under the Renoka Programme the EU and the Government of Germany have funded the launch in the academic year 2023/24 of the Master of Science in Integrated Catchment and Water Resource Management (MSc in ICWRM) programme.

 Already in this academic year the Lesotho Council on Higher Education, Lerotholi Polytechnic, National University of Lesotho together with 14 other institutions from South Africa, Mauritius, Namibia, Estonia, Belgium and Ireland, have secured Erasmus funding to work on the mutual recognition of microcredentials in Southern Africa. I am also very pleased to stand here today with all partners as there was a time where Lesotho risked to lose the resources for this programme. I shall thank Hon. Minister Rapapa and the Office of the Prime Minister to have mobilised forces and removed the obstacles in time to allow a smooth start.

In conclusion, it is my privilege to express heartfelt appreciation to the LETSEMA teams whose unwavering commitment has been the driving force behind our collective success.

I would like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of:

• The University of Turku, Finland – a special thanks to Mr. Osku Haapasaari and Mr. Mika Korkeakoski.
• Linnaeus University, Sweden – gratitude to Mr. Brijesh Mainali for his dedicated efforts.
• The Energy Research Centre, NUL – sincere thanks to Mr. Leboli Zak Thamae for his pivotal role.
• The Bethel Business Community Development Centre – special recognition to Mr. Ivan Yaholnitsky for his exemplary contributions.
• As well as to Aalto University, Finland – although not part of the LETSEMA project team, as part of the LETSEMA stakeholder network

I would also like to extend my appreciation to the NUL Executive Management, particularly the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sola Fajana, the ERC Advisory Board, and LETSEMA Associated Members, as well as the Erasmus + National Focal Point in the Ministry of Education. Your collective support has been instrumental in shaping the success of our endeavours.

Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge the presence with us today of Ms. Luisa Ragher Head of Division for Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean in the European Union External Action Service. It is her first and hopefully not last visit to the country and I am glad her visit coincided with this event which represents a lot of what the EU stands for: cooperation, academic excellence and commitment to the development of human resources, support to the green transition.

Thank you all for your dedication and commitment.

Khotso! Pula! Nala!