Lesotho has become the first country in the world to use the United Nations master plan for Artificial Intelligence (AI), Prime Minister Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane has announced.
Mr. Matekane made the announcement while addressing world leaders in New York during the second UN Digital Cooperation Day, held on the margins of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The event was organised by the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies.
Prime Minister Matekane said Lesotho had first assessed its readiness for AI before testing the UN Blueprint, which he said had proved useful and had now placed the country at the implementation stage.
He said for more than a year, the Ministry of Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation, under Minister Nthati Moorosi, had been assessing what Lesotho needed to develop and use AI, including computing capacity, data centres, internet connectivity, skills and financing.
He pointed out that Lesotho had learned an important lesson in Geneva that the digital divide was no longer only about access to the internet, but increasingly about access to computing power, data and skills needed to develop and control AI.
“Lesotho already has three digital policies, a government data centre and a Chief Digital Officer. We know what we need,” he said.
The Prime Minister stressed that technology must bring tangible benefits to ordinary people.
“Every investment in digital infrastructure must be justified by tangible improvements in people’s lives, whether in agriculture, health, education, water or public service,” he said.
He said Lesotho would not simply copy developed countries, but would develop systems suited to its resources and needs.
“We will build what fits our resources and our needs. Infrastructure must follow demand,” he said.
Matekane announced that Lesotho had completed the planning stage and had begun Phase One of its National Compute Roadmap, which will run from 2026 to 2029.
He further stressed the importance of national ownership, saying that while Lesotho welcomed development partners, Basotho must own the process.
Minister Moorosi also addressed the meeting, sharing Lesotho’s AI journey with ministers from other countries.