Lesotho and Japan sign an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Notes for the Grant Assistance for Construction of Secondary Schools in Lesotho

On 7th March 2008, Lesotho mission in Pretoria and the Embassy of Japan signed an Agreement in the form of Exchange of Notes for the Grant Assistance between the Governments of Lesotho and Japan. The two countries were represented by Ms. Matseliso Kumi, Charge d’ Affaires a.i. and His Excellency, Mr. Akhihiko Furuya, Ambassador of Japan to Lesotho.

The grant to the tune of US$ 6 Million was donated by the Government of Japan to assist the Government of Lesotho in the construction of seven secondary schools. This is in direct response to the Government of Lesotho’s need for necessary infrastructure to address the deliberate policy of ensuring access to education by all learners, especially those who benefited from the policy of Free Primary Education to enable them to further their education in secondary schools. The earmarked districts expected to benefit from this grant are; Leribe, Maseru, Berea, Quthing, Butha Buthe, Mokhotlong and Mafeteng.

On behalf of the government of Lesotho, Ms. M. Kumi, Charge d’ Affaires a.i. expressed the appreciation of the government of Lesotho towards Japan’s unwavering support and commitment to uplifting Lesotho’s economy. In his response, Amb. Akihiko Furuya echoed the same sentiments and indicated that Japan highly values the Lesotho government’s efforts to provide opportunities for the increasing number of learners who wish to further their education after successfully completing primary school, hence it decided to extend a grant for this cause.