Overview
In September 2020, the government launched the Lesotho Standards Institution. On November 12, 2021, Lesotho enacted the Lesotho Standards Institution Act , 2021. Prior to the launch, industries in Lesotho relied on the South African Bureau of Standards for voluntary standards facilities and quality assurance schemes. The Lesotho Standards Institution develops, publishes, and trains the business community on national standards. The institution provides services on quality standards, however, still works with South African Bureau of Standards for providing service for complex sectors. Lesotho exporters have developed their standards according to the technical quality requirements of importing countries and international standards. Lesotho participates in a regional program on standardization, quality, accreditation, and metrology for SADC. The program aims to harmonize standards across all member states. The establishment of the Lesotho Standards Institution is a welcome improvement as finally foreign companies producing in Lesotho for export complained about the lack of a standards body in the country. Standards
Use ePing to review proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.
The ePing SPS&TBT platform (https://epingalert.org/), or “ePing”, provides access to notifications made by World Trade Organization (WTO) Members under the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), distributed by the WTO from January 16, 1995 to present. ePing is available to all stakeholders free of charge and does not require registration unless the user wishes to receive customized e-mail alerts. Use it to browse notifications on past as well as new draft and updated product regulations, food safety and animal and plant health standards and regulations, find information on trade concerns discussed in the WTO SPS and TBT Committees, locate information on SPS/TBT Enquiry Points and notification authorities, and to follow and review current and past notifications concerning regulatory actions on products, packaging, labeling, food safety and animal and plant health measures in markets of interest.
Notify U.S., operated and maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) since 2003 to distribute and provide access to notifications (and associated draft texts) made under the WTO TBT Agreement for US stakeholders, has reached its end of life. Per obligation under the TBT Agreement, each WTO Member operates a national TBT (and an SPS) Enquiry Point. National TBT Enquiry Points are authorized to accept comments and official communications from other national TBT Enquiry Points, which are NOT part of the WTO or the WTO Secretariat. All comment submissions from U.S. stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, U.S domiciled standards development organizations and conformity assessment bodies, consumers, or U.S. government agencies on notifications to the WTO TBT Committee should be sent directly to the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point. Refer to the comment guidance at https://tsapps.nist.gov/notifyus/data/guidance/guidance.cfm for further information. This guidance is provided to assist U.S. stakeholders in the preparation and submission of comments in response to notifications of proposed foreign technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.
Publication of Technical Regulations
Lesotho has established Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Enquiry Points to ensure that technical regulations, standards and testing, inspection, and certification procedures do not create unnecessary hindrances to trade. These are set in line with WTO requirements and objectives.
Contact Information
Lesotho Standards Institution (LSI)
LNDC Phase II,
Kingsway Road, Maseru, Lesotho
Tel: (266) 5660 1626
Email Address: admin.lsi@gov.ls.
Department of Agricultural Research, Airport Road Agric College Campus
P.O. Box 829
Maseru 100
Lesotho
Contacts:
(00266) 22312395
http://www.agricresearch.gov.ls/
The Department of Standards and Quality Assurance
Ministry of Trade and Industry
P.O. Box 747, Maseru
Lesotho
Contacts:
Tel: (266) 2232 4939
Fax: (266) 231 0644
Resources
Regualations: https://lesotho.eregulations.org/
Lesotho Trade Portal: https://www.lesothotradeportal.org.ls/
Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to notify the WTO proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures that could affect trade. Notify U.S. (www.nist.gov/notifyus) is a free, web-based e-mail registration service that captures and makes available for review and comment key information on draft regulations and conformity assessment procedures. Users receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are added by selected country or countries and industry sector(s) of interest and can also request full texts of regulations. This service and its associated web site are managed and operated by the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point housed within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.