The government of Lesotho is dispatching a high-level delegation to the United States this weekend to urgently plead for a reduction in tariffs that are devastating the country’s vital textile industry. The move comes in response to a 15% levy imposed by the US in August, which has crippled exports and put thousands of jobs at risk.
Before the tariffs were introduced, most of Lesotho’s exports to the US, its second-largest trading partner, entered duty-free under the now-defunct African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). “We want the negotiations to start at zero as a starting point because it is where we were before the new US policy,” said Lihaelo Nkaota, a spokesperson for Lesotho’s trade ministry. “We want the tariffs to be below the 15% for the benefit of the employers and workers.”
The textile sector is Lesotho’s largest private employer, providing 12,000 direct jobs and indirectly supporting an additional 40,000 livelihoods. It serves major US retailers like Walmart Inc., JC Penney, and Levi Strauss & Co. Since the tariffs were imposed, several factories have been forced to cut jobs as orders from the US have dried up.
The delegation, which is being led by Trade and Industry Minister Mokhethi Shelile, includes the Minister of Labour and Employment, Ts’eliso Mokhosi, along with representatives from the Lesotho Textile Exporters Association and labor unions. The mission is critical as workers and street vendors in Lesotho plan to protest on September 17 to voice their dismay over the tariffs’ impact on their livelihoods.
