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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Standards for Trade
Last published date:

Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade

Overview

The Lesotho Bureau of Standards (LEBS) is the national standards body responsible for the development, adoption, and promotion of national standards. Lesotho employs a more flexible market-driven approach to standard development. LEBS prepares and publishes annual standards development plans, which are aligned with national development priorities and regional harmonization objectives under (SADC Cooperation in Standardization). However, there is limited public access to these plans online, and no centralized repository of updated standards is readily available to foreign stakeholders. 

Participation in standards development is open to domestic stakeholders, including government agencies, local industry, and recognized associations as well as to foreign entities or companies without a manufacturing presence in Lesotho. Also, regional harmonization through SADC and alignment with international standards (ISO, IEC) allow for indirect input from international partners.

Standards and Technical Regulations

Lesotho’s standards are not fully developed, and the country depends on South African standards.

Overview

Lesotho has made strides in developing its trade standards infrastructure to improve market access and align with international norms. The government established the Lesotho Standards Institution (LSI) under the Lesotho Standards Institution Act of 2021. Prior to its creation, industries in Lesotho depended on the South African Bureau of Standards for voluntary standards and quality assurance. The LSI now develops, publishes, and trains the business community on national standards, while continuing to collaborate with the South African Bureau of Standards for more complex sectors. Lesotho’s exporters have aligned their standards with the technical requirements of importing countries and international norms. The country also participates in a SADC regional program on standardization, quality, accreditation, and metrology aimed at harmonizing standards across member states. The establishment of the LSI is a welcome improvement, addressing longstanding concerns raised by foreign companies about the absence of a national standards body. 

Lesotho is a WTO member. Lesotho applies import tariff from WTO member countries based on WTO Consolidated Tariff Schedules. The National University of Lesotho (NUL) has been awarded chair under the WTO Chairs Program to expand academic research to enhance the capacity of higher institutions in developing countries. This program would improve private sector innovation and expertise.


Testing, Inspection and Certification

Lesotho adopts a selective, risk-based approach to product testing, inspection, and certification. Most imported and locally manufactured products enter market freely however, certain categories including public health, safety and environment are subject to mandatory testing and certification. 

Publication of Technical Regulations

Lesotho has established Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Enquiry Points to ensure that technical regulations, standards and testing, inspection, and certification procedures do not create unnecessary hindrances to trade. These are set in line with WTO requirements and objectives.
 

Contact Information
Lesotho Standards Institution (LSI) 
LNDC Phase II, 
Kingsway Road, Maseru, Lesotho 
Tel: (266) 5660 1626 
Email Address: admin.lsi@gov.ls.

Department of Agricultural Research, Airport Road Agric College Campus
P.O. Box 829
Maseru 100
Lesotho
Contacts:
(00266) 22312395

The Department of Standards and Quality Assurance
Ministry of Trade and Industry
P.O. Box 747, Maseru 
Lesotho 
Contacts:
Tel: (+266) 2232 4939
Tel: (+266) 2231 7454
Fax: (+266) 231 0644

Resources 
Regulations: https://lesotho.eregulations.org/ 
 

WTO members are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to notify to the WTO proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures that could affect trade. Notify U.S. (www.nist.gov/notifyus) is a free, web-based e-mail registration service that captures and makes available for review and comment key information on draft regulations and conformity assessment procedures. Users receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are added by selected country or countries and industry sector(s) of interest and can also request full texts of regulations. This service and its associated web site are managed and operated by the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point housed within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.


Use ePing to review proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures. 

The ePing SPS&TBT platform (https://epingalert.org/), or “ePing”, provides access to notifications made by Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) under the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), distributed by the WTO from January 16, 1995 to present.  ePing is available to all stakeholders free of charge and is a versatile tool that can be used to: 

  •  Follow and review current and past notifications concerning regulatory actions on products, packaging, labeling, food safety and animal and plant health measures in markets of interest,
  • Receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are distributed
  • Find information on trade concerns discussed in the WTO SPS and TBT Committees. 
     

Per obligation under the TBT Agreement, each WTO Member operates an Enquiry Point. National TBT Enquiry Points are authorized to accept comments and official communications from other national TBT Enquiry Points, which are NOT part of the WTO or the WTO Secretariat. All comment submissions from U.S. stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, U.S domiciled standards development organizations and conformity assessment bodies, consumers, or U.S. government agencies on notifications to the WTO TBT Committee should be sent directly to the USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point.  

Refer to the comment guidance at https://www.nist.gov/notifyus/commenting for further information. This guidance is provided to assist U.S. stakeholders in the preparation and submission of comments in response to notifications of proposed foreign technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.
For EU CCG: https://www.trade.gov/ce-marking