Lesotho’s Ministry of Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation (MICSTI), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has concluded a two-day stakeholder validation workshop on the Electronic Transactions and Communications Bill 2026.
The workshop brought together stakeholders to review and validate provisions of the proposed legislation, which seeks to strengthen trust and security within Lesotho’s digital environment.
Speaking at the closing session on behalf of the Principal Secretary, Kopano Tšenoli, Director in MICSTI’s Department of Appropriate Technology Services, highlighted the role of electronic transactions and digital signatures in establishing trust in digital interactions.
Tšenoli explained the use of public and private keys in securing electronic transactions and discussed the role of the avalanche effect in cryptography. He also emphasised that electronic signatures should provide reliable evidence of who signed a document, what was signed and when it was signed, while keeping that evidence secure.
According to MICSTI, the proposed Bill is expected to strengthen digital trust and interoperability while supporting cross-border digital trade.
Following the stakeholder validation, the draft legislation will be refined by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel before proceeding to the next stages of the legislative process. MICSTI also thanked stakeholders and UNDP for their contributions, with the workshop concluding with a call for continued collaboration towards a secure, inclusive and digitally enabled Lesotho.
