The conference, to be attended by Lesotho government officials and apparel industrialists from Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana and Kenya, will be held in the capital, Maseru, from May 14 to 15. There will also be a trade fair during the conference.
The theme of the conference will be "Sharpening the Competitive Edge" and will focus on four themes chosen to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the industry.
They include productivity, human resource management and industrial relations, compliance with customer codes of conduct and HIV/Aids in the garment industry.
According to the conference organiser, Andy Salm, who is the Regional Textile and Apparel Specialist at ComMark, studies of the Lesotho garment industry have identified various issues facing the sector.
"The principal constraint is maintaining the industry's global competitiveness in the face of the declining advantages the country currently enjoys under the existing preferential trade agreements.
"The studies also show that some factories are operating at productivity levels of 30 to 50 percent in an industry where 85 percent productivity levels are essential to maintaining the global market position," he said.
Lesotho currently enjoys benefits from strong textile exports to the United States under the US African Growth Opportunity Act.
Nevertheless, Lesotho faces the challenge of potential loss of trade preferences.
The textile industry employs over 40,000 Basotho and is the second largest employer after government.
A statement from LNDC indicated that, like all countries in the southern African region, Lesotho faces the scourge of HIV/Aids and the profile of the workforce in the garment industry is such that it is at a particular risk to the impact of the pandemic. - Sapa
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