| Overview : UNDP is the UN global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. It works with individual countries on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. The UNDP Lesotho Country Programme (2019-2023) is anchored on the NSDP II, the UNDAF (2019–2023) and guided by the UNDP Strategic Plan (2018–2021), and SDGs. It is implemented through 3- programme pillars: (i) Governance, Accountability, Social Cohesion and Stability; (ii) Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth and (iii) Environmental Sustainability, Climate Change and Resilience. Through the Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth (SIEG) Programme, UNDP is contributing to achieving the objectives of the NSDP II by strengthening capacities of private and public sector stakeholders to create decent and sustainable jobs, promoting economic diversity, and facilitating increased economic participation. This is achieved by collaborating with government ministries, private sector, civil society and academia to promote innovative and technological interventions, collaborative and informative stakeholder engagement, policy advocacy and ensuring accountability for results. The NSDP II identifies technology and innovation as one of the key drivers and enabler of economic growth and employment creation in Lesotho. The Ministry of Communications, Science & Technology of the Government of Lesotho assumes the responsibility of providing general policy for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. The ICT Policy was developed in 2005, and is aimed at strengthening coordination, capacity development and guiding decision for technology adoption in the country. Under the ICT Policy 2005, the Ministry of Communications (Department of ICT) is charged with the responsibility for ICT promotion and coordination, strategic planning & resource mobilisation, monitoring & evaluation of the ICT sector and establishment of an ICT Cadre. However, there has been implementation challenges which resulted in weak coordination mechanisms and adoption of various strategies for ICT management and infrastructure development within the government ministries. This has complicated the monitoring and evaluation function of the ICT Policy. In this context, the MCST seeks to create a clear and stable policy environment to strengthen governance and regulation of ICT sector and identify and define the roles and responsibilities of the various players and stakeholders in the sector. This will create confidence in the sector and guide resources mobilisation, investment and management of the sector to ensure development of human assets through ICT. It is therefore crucial to understand whether recent ICT developments have exposed anomalies in the ICT Policy, legal and regulatory environment; to identify extent to which the current policy objectives were achieved and identify gaps in the policy goals in context of the changing local and global landscape for ICT. On behalf of the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology, UNDP is looking for a telecommunications and ICT , policy and legal firm or team of consultants to support the Ministry to review the current policy, identify existing gaps and develop a new policy statement that will be to establish procedures and process for development and investments in the sector. |
