Mpeshe Selebalo
MASERU — Quality service can boost government efforts to make Lesotho attractive to international investors, Trade and Industry Minister Popane Lebesa said on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference in Maseru to mark the end of the World Quality Week, the minister said offering a quality service remained an important ingredient for the success of any business.
Lesotho celebrated the World Quality Week from November 12 to 19.
“The International Standards Organisation defines quality as expectations that have to be satisfied in order to meet the demands of consumers,” Popane said.
“This definition is important since it does not only specify quality on its own but that it goes together with other expectations and needs.”
Popane also said there was need to expand operations of the One Stop Business Facilitation Centre ? an initiative introduced in September 2007 by the government to consolidate services such as the issuing of trade licences, residence and import permits as well as export visas.
“There is a need to expand this initiative so that it can operate in areas beyond this office, such as banks and the transport sector,” he said.
Popane also said tourism had huge potential in Lesotho, provided there was provision of quality service.
“The tourism industry can experience high growth if tourists are satisfied with the services offered by establishments in the country,” he said.
He added that the Department of Standards and Quality Assurance in the trade ministry had made consultations with a number of organisations, among them the Department of Cooperatives and the Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation, on the importance of quality service.
Popane encouraged the private sector to set high standards which would complement government efforts to woo investors.
World Quality Day was introduced in 1990 to promote quality service globally.
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