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The 2014 was the year in which most Southern African countries held
elections that varied in terms of organisation, competition and management.
It is within this period, the African continent attempted to focus on key
development issues such as the fight against hunger by committing to
strengthen agriculture production. The Africans continue to experience
structural exclusion from governance processes and policy dialogue space,
thus hindering the expected outcome that Africans can excel in the fight
against poverty, HIV and AIDS and corruption. However, the civil society
has demanded to participate in the policy development, and this is evidenced
by the call for the civil society participation in the Comprehensive Africa
Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) processes, Deepening Decentralisation
Programme Steering Committee, just to mention a few.
Lesotho has experienced many development challenges, which had effects
on her status in the human development index. She has a life expectancy
of 48.2 as per the Human Development Index (HDI) with high poverty prevalence
and child mortality rates
Access to education continues to be a gross challenge in the SADC region.
In Lesotho, education is fully subsidised by the government at primary level.
According to HDI the adult literacy rate for Lesotho was estimated at 75.8%
in 2014 and public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP is said
to be 12.4%, a sign that Lesotho stands a good chance to improve the lives
of her citizens.
The HIV and AIDS national prevalence rate of 23% which puts the country
as the second-highest undermines efforts to promote development in all
sectors as it reduces the supply of a skilled workforce in the public and
the private sectors. In addition to this challenge, the Lesotho Census 2009
DHS revealed that maternal mortality rate is about 1155 per 100,000 live
at births. It is further indicated that the rate for infant mortality
stands at 91 per 1,000, a decline from 103 per 1,000 live births (1976-1996).
Lesotho like any other African countries is challenged by perpetual infant
mortality rate, which had also put herself off-track on the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
The current unemployment rate for Lesotho is at 24% and 60% of them are
said to be faced by the abject poverty. The high unemployment rate is seen
as a contributing factor to the widening inequality gap in the country.
There is relative stability in Lesotho, though the country is facing many
challenges, ranging from the high level of intolerance between state
institutions evidenced by the protracted tension between security formations,
lack of trust between the coalition government partners and unstable civil service.
Though all these are happening in the ambit of constitutional frame works, these
rendered a country in a state of fear that can grow to the level of political
decay. While the Coalition Government enjoyed a sizable acceptance in the beginning,
it is now facing more challenges imposed by the lack of political tolerance and
united efforts in addressing key governance and development issues. Although the
fight against corruption is on the government’s top agenda, it seems that
institutions mandated to carry out the task, lack the capacity to finalise
investigation to successful litigation.
It is for this reason that NGO Week is needed as platform for civil society
to voice the concerns of the citizens for social change. NGO Week provides
the platform for greater participation by citizens and government officials.
The theme “Constitutionalism and Democratization in the Context of Coalition
Politics and Regional Integration The rationale behind the theme is to ensure
continuous engagement of local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and for CSO
to remain relevant to the current development challenges of the people they
are serving. The theme also demonstrates the strong commitment by LCN to lead
the way under environment of limited consultations and accountability by
the local authorities, executive and legislature.
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