Masquerade for Lesotho! Na wetin we dey hear o, as dem don declare national state of disaster because of the wahala wey don come from United States. E no be small matter as President Donald Trump don chop life with 50 percent tariff wey go land for the country’s exports. If you know say Lesotho dey produce cloth for big American brands like Levi’s and Wrangler, then you go fit understand the gbege wey dey happen.
Mokhethi Shelile, Lesotho’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Small Business Development, no fit hide him worry. Him don yarn say this new tariff fit make dem textile industry wahala so tey e go fit collapse if dem no quickly find another market sharp-sharp. “We fear say our textile industry wey dey export to the United States go either change to other markets or just fold up,” Shelile talk (na wetin we go call ‘fire on the mountain’ for Lesotho).
This textile sector no just dey bring cloth, Na im b the backbone of Lesotho economy! For more than 20 years, na through the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) dey run the show, wey dey allow dem export without wahala of tariffs to American markets. But now, with just 2.3 million people and Lesotho being the largest garment exporter to the U.S. in sub-Saharan Africa, everything don dey hang for dry line like cloth wey dem no fit wash. E be so serious as the current tariffs don put dem success story for shakara mode.
Dem don even pause the “liberation day tariffs” wey White House announce for April, but e be like say that break go don finish as dem wan start new tariff regime wey no dey look anybody face. As the government don declare state of disaster, dem dey plan to quickly create 60,000 new jobs for sectors outside the textile industry within two years (we dey whisper say dem no wan put all their eggs for one basket). Shelile talk say dem dey hope say dem go fit negotiate for better rate wey no go pass 10 percent at least.
But e go sweet if you see how Trump dey treat Lesotho. Him don talk say, “Lesotho? Na country wey nobody don ever hear about,” yet na under AGOA dem don dey do business together. Talk about forgetting your roots, right? So as we dey follow this gist, make we dey watch as Lesotho dey try manage di trade wahala way dem never see before. We hope say dem go fit dodge this bullet and no go become another ‘what could have been’ story.
