This exploratory study investigates the sub-national economic and spatial development
outcomes of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, 2000 (AGOA) in
Lesotho. The findings reveal that the settlements where the ‘AGOA-factories’ are
located have experienced not only positive, but also significant negative economic
and spatial impacts. While AGOA resulted in the creation of tens of thousands of
job opportunities for unskilled and semi-skilled Basotho youth, it did not provide
them with portable skills for use once they had left the AGOA factory floor. Neither
did AGOA motivate the youth or local entrepreneurs to tap into the manufacturing
sector. In terms of spatial development, the AGOA factories had led to infrastructure
investment, essentially to serve the factories, which, in turn, also benefited the
surrounding territories. In many of the settlements, rental units – unplanned and
without planning permission – have been constructed in response to the huge
demand for affordable housing by the thousands of migrant workers. While fulfilling a
definite need, these units have simultaneously led to the development of monotonous
‘sleeper towns’, over-burdening of already strained municipal services, haphazard
land development, and a feeling of ‘anything goes’. The research findings suggest
that, while ‘trade and development boosting tools’ such as AGOA may be useful
in providing term-based job opportunities for an unskilled workforce, they will most
likely not have as significant a positive impact on the local economy, the creation
of an indigenous industrial class, or the building of sustainable human settlements.
Hierdie verkennende studie ondersoek die sub-nasionale ekonomiese en ruimtelike
ontwikkelingsuitkomste van die African Growth and Opportunity Act, 2000 (AGOA)
in Lesotho. Die bevindings van die studie dui daarop dat die nedersettings waar die
‘AGOA-fabrieke’ geleë is, positiewe, maar eweneens ook beduidende negatiewe
ekonomiese en ruimtelike impakte ervaar het. Terwyl AGOA wel daarin geslaag het
om tienduisende werksgeleenthede vir ongeskoolde en semi-geskoolde Basothojeug
te skep, het dit hulle nie toegerus met draagbare vaardighede vir gebruik elders,
nadat hulle die AGOA-fabrieksvloer verlaat het nie. Die studie het ook nie gevind dat
AGOA plaaslike jeug of entrepreneurs gemotiveer het om in die vervaardigingsektor
in te skakel nie. Wat betref ruimtelike ontwikkeling is daar gevind dat die AGOAfabrieke
gelei het tot die investering in infrastruktuur wat essensieel is om die fabrieke
te diens, wat in die proses ook nabygeleë gebiede bevoordeel het. In baie van die
nedersettings is huureenhede – onbeplan en sonder beplanningstoestemming –
gebou in reaksie op die groot vraag na bekostigbare behuising onder die duisende
trekarbeiders. Terwyl hierdie wooneenhede ‘n duidelike leemte gevul het, het hulle
ook gelei tot die ontwikkeling van eentonige ‘slaapdorpe’, oorskreiding van die
kapasiteit van reeds beperkte munisipale dienste, onbeplande grondontwikkeling,
en ‘n gevoel van ‘laat maar gaan’. Die navorsingsbevindinge stel voor dat, terwyl
‘instrumente wat daarop gerig is om handel en ontwikkeling te stimuleer’, soos
AGOA, nuttig kan wees in die skep van termyn-gebaseerde werksgeleenthede
vir ‘n ongeskoolde werksmag, die instrumente heel waarskynlik nie ‘n soortgelyke
positiewe impak sal hê op die plaaslike ekonomie, die totstandkoming van ‘n
inheemse industriële klas, of die daarstel van volhoubare nedersettings nie.
Ho fumana le ho boloka kgolo e tatileng
ya moruo le kgolo e tswellang pele ya
setjhaba le ntshetsopele ya sepakapaka
(spatial),ka ho thea diindasteri e bile
phepetso e phehelletseng lebatowa
(region) la Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
Tharollo e atisang ho tshwarwa,
bakeng sa phepetso ena e bile ho
fana ka tumello ya ho fumana thepa e
entsweng ke lebatowa (region) la SAA
bakeng sa dimmaraka tse fapaneng, tse
phedisanang tsa Leboya (North). Bohlale
bona bo bonahalang bo entse hore ho
be le African Growth Opportunity Act
(AGOA) ka selemo sa 2000, Sebokeng/
kopanong ya Dinaha tse kopaneng tsa
Amerika (United States of America) ya
bomakgolo a mabedi (200). Thutong
ena ya ho hlohlomisa,boiphihlelo
bo fumanweng ke naha ya Lesotho
ka lebaka la AGOA, haholoholo re
shebile ditlamorao tsa molao moruong
wa naha potlana le ntshetsopeleng
ya sepakapaka ka hara naha; bo
a batlisiswa/hlwelwa. Diphumano/
diphetho tsa diphuputso tsa thuto ena
di bontsha hore dibaka tsa bodulo tse kgolwanyane; moo difeme tsa AGOA di
leng teng, di fihlelletse botle bo itseng;
empa tshusumetso e bile mpe haholo
moruong le sepakapakeng. Le hoja
AGOA e entse hore ho be le mashome a
dikete a menyetla ya mesebetsi bakeng
sa batjha ba Basotho ba senang tsebo
le ba nang le tsebo e nnyane, ha e a ka
ya ba fa bokgoni bo lekaneng, boo ba
ka bo sebedisang ha ba se ba tsamaile
femeng. AGOA hape e ile ya fumanwa e
sa fa batjha kapa borakgwebo ba selehae
tshusumetso ya ho kena karolong ya
diindasteri. Lehlakoreng la ntshetsopele
ya sepakapaka, difeme tsa AGOA di
fumanwe di etsa dibopeho tsa motheo
(infrastructure); dipoloko (investment)
haholoholo hore di sebeletse difeme
tsena, hape ka lehlakoreng le leng, di
molemong wa dibaka tse potapotileng
moo. Dibakeng tse ngata tsa bodulo,
diyuniti tsa khiro- tse sa rerwang le tse
senang ditumello tsa ho aha- di ahilwe ka baka la tlhokeho e kgolo ya matlo a
ka lefellwang ha bobebe ke dikete tsa
basebeletsi ba bafalli (migrant workers).
Ha ho ntse ho kwalwa sekgeo sena se
bonahalang, diyuniti tsena ka yona nako
eo di entse hore ho be le ntshetsopele/
ntlafatso ya ditoropo tse nnyane,
boima bo boholo hodima ditshebeletso
tsa masepala tse seng di imetswe,
ntshetsopele/ntlafatso ya lefatshe le sa
hlophiswang hantle le maikutlo a hore
ntho e nngwe le e nngwe e lokile/e
a etswa. Ka kakaretso, diphumano/
diphetho tsa dipatlisiso di hlahisa hore,
leha kgwebo/thekiso (trade) le dithulosi
(tools) tse tshehetsang ntshetsopele;
jwaloka AGOA, di kanna tsa ba molemo
tabeng ya ho fana ka menyetla ya
mesebetsi ya nako e telele bakeng sa
basebeletsi ba senang tsebo, di ka se
be le tshusumetso e kaalo ya bohlokwa
hodima: moruo wa selehae, ho thewa
ha diindasteri tsa lehae, kapa kaho ya
bodulo bo bolokehileng. Hore sena
se tle se etsahale, dithulosi tsena ka
botsona di tlameha ho tsepamiswa haholo ka nako e telele,hodima
ntshetsopele e kopanetsweng ya dinaha
tse tshwanetsweng ke ho una molemo
mme ho kenyelletswa le ditlhoko tse
hlahlamanang, tse lekantsweng ho
ntshetsapele kgokahano e nang le
boleng bakeng sa maemo a mangata
a setjhaba. Ka kopanelo ya ho hlahisa
dithulosi tsa matjhaba tse ntjha tsa
kgwebo; sete ya disebediswa tsa
selehae bakeng sa ho kgothatsa;
ho hodisa le ho eketsa ntshetsopele
dikgokahano tse kang tsena; di tlameha
ho kopanelwa le ho tsejwa dinaheng tse
tshwanetsweng ke ho una molemo.
