Lesotho Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in lesotho, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Market Entry Strategy
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For U.S. businesses interested in doing business in Lesotho, it is important to have a local presence by establishing branch offices, pursuing joint ventures with local businesses, or making use of sales agents. It is worthwhile to establish business relationships before tender opportunities are announced. U.S. firms should seek reputable local partners in their line of business or a complementary business. Personal meetings with potential agents are encouraged, and due diligence is recommended to ensure that partners are reliable. The U.S. Embassy encourages prospective U.S. investors to contact the National Development Corporation (LNDC), which plays a facilitating role for foreign investors, providing information to prospective investors, arranging site visits, helping with registration and licensing, and securing premises. Building strategic relationship with key government Ministries including Trade and Finance as well as the Central Bank of Lesotho can also be beneficial.

Understanding the legal framework for business operations is essential for companies entering the Lesotho market. This includes completing business registration, securing permits, and adhering to local tax and legal requirements. Lesotho has made notable progress in streamlining its business registration process, reducing the time required to register a business from 15 days to just one day with the establishment of the Lesotho One Stop Business Facilitation Centre (OBFC). Reflecting these improvements, Lesotho scored 76.44 percent in the 2024 World Bank Business Ready Report for business entry, demonstrating strong performance in this area. 

U.S. businesses can utilize SACU and SADC trade blocks with wider markets, more established regulatory framework, and improved business environments. The SACU market product preference has more westernized tastes due to urbanization and exposure to global brands while the SADC market has a stronger preference for locally made products. The SACU market has relatively higher and more stable income levels than the SADC market with lower purchasing power.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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