Lesotho Concludes Validation of Electronic Transactions and Communications Bill
According to MICSTI, the proposed Bill is expected to strengthen digital trust and interoperability while supporting cross-border digital trade.
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 is aimed at strengthening trust and security in 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 (ATS), highlighted the importance of electronic transactions and digital signatures in establishing trust in digital interactions.
Tšenoli explained how public and private keys can be used to secure 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 and trustworthy.
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 moving to the next stages of the legislative process.
MICSTI thanked stakeholders and UNDP for their contributions to the process, with the workshop ending with a call for continued collaboration to support a secure, inclusive and digitally enabled Lesotho.
