The International Trade Centre’s Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI) is taking its Wool and Mohair project directly to communities across Lesotho through a five-district roadshow aimed at creating awareness, mobilising participation and promoting local value addition.
National Coordinator Ts’epang Sekonyela said the initiative seeks to change perceptions of wool and mohair from being viewed mainly as raw agricultural commodities to being recognised as opportunities for creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation and job creation.
Wool and mohair account for about 60 per cent of Lesotho’s agricultural exports and provide livelihoods for more than 45,000 rural households. However, much of the fibre continues to leave the country in raw or relatively unprocessed form, limiting opportunities for local businesses and artisans to benefit from higher-value activities such as product development, branding, manufacturing and marketing.
“That’s what we’re here to change with this project,” Sekonyela said.
The project is being implemented in collaboration with the Government of Lesotho and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), with a focus on strengthening skills, quality standards, enterprise development and market linkages while celebrating Basotho heritage and craftsmanship.
The Roadshow will take place between today and 24 September in Berea, Leribe, Thaba-Tseka, Mohale’sHoek and Maseru.
Sekonyela noted that taking the programme to different districts is intended to ensure that communities do not have to travel to Maseru or depend solely on online platforms to access information about the opportunities available.
“Our team will be present at every stop to talk through what’s coming next: training, mentorship and new market routes opening soon for entrepreneurs, artisans, designers and enterprises ready to build a business from local fibre,” she explained.
The Roadshow will feature live demonstrations and opportunities for participants to interact with designers and entrepreneurs already working in the sector. It will also provide information on how people can register for the project’s upcoming training programmes.
The organisers expect approximately 1,500 people to participate across the five district events, with a wider audience expected to be reached through a digital campaign.
Sekonyela said the idea for the Roadshow was partly informed by a survey conducted by the project, which highlighted the need to encourage greater participation by young people in activities such as spinning, weaving, knitting and design.
The survey also showed the importance of reaching people who do not have reliable access to the internet.
“If we wanted to be truly inclusive, we needed to go where people are,” she said.
The initiative is particularly targeting young people, women, rural communities, artisans, cooperatives, cottage industries, emerging entrepreneurs, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), designers and persons with disabilities.
The Roadshow itself is not a training programme but serves as an entry point into the broader project.
Following the awareness campaign, participants will have an opportunity to join a Bootcamp covering entrepreneurship and business management, financial literacy, design and product development, production best practices, circularity in textiles and fashion, branding and marketing, communication and storytelling, environmental, social and governance practices, and market readiness.
Participants will subsequently be assessed, with 20 high-potential enterprises expected to progress to more targeted enterprise development support through the project’s Incubator and Accelerator programmes.
The support will include tailored coaching, specialised mentorship, product refinement, business advisory services, market preparation and opportunities to engage with buyers.
The project will also provide targeted in-kind support where appropriate, which could include raw materials, machinery or improvements to production facilities, depending on the needs identified and the relevant project mechanisms.
Sekonyela stressed that the support should not be interpreted as automatic equipment provision to every participant.
The project also aims to facilitate access to regional and international markets, helping Basotho enterprises become more competitive and retain a greater share of the value generated from the country’s wool and mohair.
According to Sekonyela, opportunities exist across the entire value chain, including spinning, weaving, knitting, felting, fashion and textile design, accessories, home décor, branding, marketing and technology.
She said the project would like to see more locally produced garments, knitwear, scarves, blankets, rugs, felt products, home décor, fashion accessories, jewellery and other innovative products made from Lesotho’s fibre.
“The important point isn’t simply to produce more products, but to produce products that are well designed, competitive and responsive to what the market actually wants,” he said.
Lesotho is the world’s second-largest exporter of mohair, making the sector an important contributor to rural livelihoods and the national economy. However, limited production capacity, gaps in business skills, product development challenges, limited market access and low visibility of local enterprises continue to constrain the sector.
EFI believes strengthening local enterprises and encouraging greater participation in higher-value activities can help address some of these challenges.
Sekonyela said the ultimate goal is for more value generated from Lesotho’s wool and mohair to remain within the country through skills development, entrepreneurship, product innovation, job creation and stronger market connections.
“Lesotho shouldn’t only be known for producing wool and mohair. We should also be able to transform it, design with it, build brands around it, and create businesses and jobs from it here,” he said.
