AI regulation in Lesotho (2026)

MICSTI published a Draft Artificial Intelligence Policy (v0.1) and held a three-day validation workshop in January 2025 with over 100 stakeholders from government, private sector, civil society, and academia. Formal adoption is expected but unconfirmed as of May 2026.

Lesotho's National Digital Transformation Strategy 2024–2030, launched by MICSTI, frames AI governance within five pillars: Enabling Environment, Digital Government, Digital Infrastructure, Digital Population, and Digital Business.

The draft AI policy targets integration of AI in healthcare (diagnostics, telemedicine, epidemiological tracking), agriculture (climate-resilience analytics, livestock management, market pricing), education, and manufacturing.

The Data Protection Act No. 5 of 2012 sets baseline rules for personal data processing relevant to AI, but enforcement is weak — no Data Protection Commissioner has been appointed, leaving the statute without a functioning watchdog.

Lesotho's draft AI policy explicitly aligns with the African Union AI Strategy and draws on the EU AI Act as a reference framework, embedding Lesotho's AI governance within continental and international norms.

The Computer and Cyber Security Bill 2023 provides broader digital governance context and is cited as a complementary instrument to the forthcoming AI policy, covering cybersecurity dimensions of digital technology use.