The sub-national economic and spatial development impacts of AGOA in Lesotho : an exploratory study

Abstract

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.