Editorial introduction
Why Lesotho extended its national plan
The Extended National Strategic Development Plan II is the Government of Lesotho's strategic roadmap for the 2023/24 to 2027/28 period. It continues the country's national development framework while responding to lessons from the earlier plan, constrained resources and a changing economic, social and environmental context.
The publication explains that the preceding framework contained too many priorities for the resources available and lacked some of the implementation and monitoring coherence needed for delivery. The extension narrows and reorganises the direction around a connected national framework rather than treating sectors as independent programmes.
Four national priority areas
The first priority area focuses on inclusive and sustainable economic growth and private sector job creation, with agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, creative industries and mining treated as productive sectors. The second addresses human capital through health, education, migration and social development.
The third priority area covers enabling infrastructure, including transport, water, energy, the built environment and waste management. The fourth addresses governance and accountability, public financial management, service delivery, security, justice, labour-market governance, development planning and international cooperation.
Cross-cutting resilience and inclusion
Environment and climate change, gender, youth, vulnerable groups, disaster risk management, finance, technology and innovation run across the plan. This structure reflects the way climate risk, inclusion, institutional capacity and access to finance influence more than one sector.
The plan combines contextual analysis, sector progress, constraints, opportunities and strategic direction. Its implementation chapters set out institutional responsibilities and monitoring arrangements intended to keep the national framework connected to delivery and review.
Analytica's contribution to the planning process
Analytica supported the assignment as lead consultant and economic and financial adviser. Its contribution included policy and performance review, sector and economic analysis, institutional coordination assessment, stakeholder consultation, participatory planning and development of implementation and monitoring arrangements.
The Government of Lesotho owns the publication. The related case study describes Analytica's role and methods in more detail, while this page introduces the content and structure of the national plan itself.
Connected fields