business

Jan. 25, 2023

NEO SENOKO

2 min read

Glory International, C&Y to reopen

Glory International, C&Y to reopen

Textile factory workers hard at work

Story highlights

    To date, the effects of the outbreak on the textile industry remain substantial
    Govt wants to use Glory International as incubation hub to train Basotho entrepreneurs

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DENIM wear manufacturing company, Glory International, which was forced to close shop due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is preparing to reopen for business soon.

But this time around, the Taiwanese-owned factory will operate as an incubation hub to train and equip Basotho entrepreneurs with different skills in order to create job opportunities for such individuals and people.

This was revealed by Prime Minister Sam Matekane during his recent visit to some closed firms located at the Tikoe Industrial Area in Maseru.   

At the height of its operations, before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Glory International had about 2 500 people under its employ.

“The plan is to use this factory as an incubation hub to train and equip Basotho entrepreneurs with different skills to create jobs for themselves and others,” Matekane reiterated during the visit.

Another factory that the PM and his delegation toured is C &Y, which has the capacity to employ 2 607 people. Likewise, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the firm was closed down in December 2021.

Matekane’s entourage comprised the Minister of Trade, Industry, Business Development, and Tourism, Mokhethi Shelile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC), Advocate Molise Ramaile, and some senior government officials.

Matekane said the government will do its best to ensure that C&Y also reopens in order to create jobs and reduce unemployment in the country.

Lesotho, like other low-income countries around the world, was hard hit hard economically by the pandemic. The consequences of policies like the “hard Lockdown” imposed to contain the coronavirus by flattening the curve and offloading pressure on hospitals have had far-reaching economic ramifications beyond just the social isolation.

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To date, the effects of the outbreak on the textile industry remain substantial, especially because the clothing industry in Lesotho is the largest private employer, with more than 80 percent of its workers being women.

Speaking on behalf of the factories, Teboho Kobeli expressed his gratitude to the government of Lesotho for the initiative, promising that they will work hard to ensure that the closed firms reopen.

Kobeli is the founder and Managing Director of a locally owned clothing and textile factory called Afri-Expo.

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