DevDispatch contributor Adebayo Abubakar spoke with Lesotho-based Journalist, and Independent Continental Youth Advisory Council on AfCFTA (ICOYACA) Lesotho country champion, Lerato Mochesane. Lerato shared her thoughts on involvement of the media in the rollout of the AfCFTA, how receptive the people of Lesotho have been to the progress made under the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) and more.

Enjoy!

Adebayo Abubakar: Please introduce yourself

Lerato Mochesane: My name is Lerato Mochesane. I am a Lesotho-born and bred youth who strongly believes in her culture because I believe we are here because our forefathers kept and respected it.

I am a professional, certified journalist who prefers writing about “impact stories” because I believe there are a lot of people in our communities who are changing lives for the better, yet no one is saying anything about them. Their stories can motivate other people. I am an aspiring blogger who focuses on entrepreneurship upon realization that the youth take this route and fail at it, because they lack skills and the technical know-how. Therefore, having experts guide them will change their lives for the better.

I work for the Independent Continental Youth Advisory Council on AfCFTA (ICOYACA) as the “Lesotho Country Champion”. We advocate for youth inclusion in the implementation of the AfCFTA.

I am an alumni of several self and career development fellowships like, YALI RLC SA under the business and entrepreneurship track, African Rebirth and Future Africa.

Adebayo Abubakar: In spreading the gospel of AfCFTA, would you say that the secretariat has engaged well enough with the media across the continent?

Lerato Mochesane: I don’t know whether they were even involved in the whole AfCFTA implementation. So, I don’t think it was enough. I think it was the biggest mistake because we [journalists] disseminate information using different types of media, so it is important that [journalists] are involved in such matters. Because if journalists know about it, and are fully conscious of it, then they are able to tell people what [the] AfCFTA actually entails or encompasses. Therefore, people will get a clearer understanding and see how they can take advantage of it. And, I would love to talk about the youth because the agreement and Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade (under negotiations), promises the youth and the women to be major stakeholders and core beneficiaries as the largest demographic dividend. So, now I say, it is important that we disseminate such information to them because at the end of the day, if the agreement is designed to benefit them, then, it should actually benefit them.

Adebayo Abubakar: How would you rate the involvement of the media, and the impact of their involvement on the AfCFTA campaign?

Lerato Mochesane: I don’t think they know anything because if we say the AfCFTA has been operational since 2021, and this is 2023, yet we don’t see as many articles about [the] AfCFTA, then, I don’t think the media is aware of it much. I will repeat, I think we’re missing the whole point there because these are the people we can actually entrust to disseminate information on national issues. And, if they don’t know about such initiatives, then how will people actually know about the agreement? Most people depend on different types of media as their source of information. I therefore call on champions in different African countries heading the AfCFTA to put in place mechanisms to involve journalists.

Adebayo Abubakar: How would you rate the way the people of Lesotho have received the AfCFTA?

Lerato Mochesane: I think it is more like the last question, because, if we are saying the journalists are not aware of it; then the people are not likely to be aware of it because no one is telling them about it. So, I think, honestly, there is still a lot to be done with regards to AfCFTA information dissemination. If AU [the African Union] say this is the year that we accelerate its implementation, and make sure that we leave no one behind, I think the people at the forefront should be journalists, because through them, we are able to reach the masses. Bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, people who write for foreign newspapers, and people who present programs on radio already have a large following, and they have people who rely on them for accurate information. So, I think we need to involve them more.

Adebayo Abubakar: I am curious to know if you, as a journalist, tried to ask questions from maybe the Ministry of Trade or Commerce, or even the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Lesotho, with a view to ascertaining the government’s position on the AfCFTA?

Lerato Mochesane: We cannot run away from the fact that this is a new topic. AfCFTA has not been implemented in a lot of countries including my country (Lesotho). But, I know that the Ministry of Trade right now, is working towards involving the youth. We are working together currently to see how we can disseminate this information to the youth through capacity-building workshops for them to understand what the agreement means within the context of Lesotho. So, I think, for me, that is a great step and it really shows that the government wants everyone to be part of it. So, it is one of those steps that give us hope that the government is really serious about saying that youths are the core beneficiaries of the agreement, and they are really serious about disseminating information to them. After we are done with the action plans and everything, maybe, next will be the journalists. It would actually make sense for them to capacitate us first, because we cannot advocate for something that we do not understand, within the context of our country. Yes continentally, we do understand what it means, but you’re going to agree with me that nationally, due to policies, agreements that may have been signed before, we are going to have differences. So, it’s quite a big step. I think there is hope. They are doing it.

Adebayo Abubakar: How did stakeholders in Lesotho receive the news of the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI)

Lerato Mochesane: So, with this agreement, we’re not going to run away from the fact that everything has its pros and cons. And there are a lot of issues around it, especially the opinions of people. I have heard a lot of people wonder, “what is special about the AfCFTA”? There have been so many agreements before that were not implemented, or not fully implemented. Already, people are raising issues around human trafficking, cross-border traveling, terrorism, peace..There are a lot of issues in regard to trading within the continent of Africa by African countries. So, with Kenya and the other countries there is hope because [the trading] is happening. These countries are doing it. And I know this lady from Kenya who exports to Uganda. She was actually sharing how the agreement has actually helped her business grow. This does not only give the stakeholders hope, but the people hope as well, especially, those who were actually wondering how it was going to be done.

Adebayo Abubakar: Thank you for your time.

Lerato Mochesane: You are welcome.

Adebayo Abubakar is a Nigerian journalist. You can reach him via email, marxbayour@gmail.com