Lesotho

Labour-based infrastructure works was institutionalised in Lesotho in the late seventies through the creation of the Labour Construction Unit (LCU). LCU is today a well functioning and well established unit within the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, and labour-based methods are employed countrywide by force account units as well as small-scale contractors. LCU embarked on a contractor development programme for maintenance of gravel roads in 1993 and have to date successfully trained some 32 domestic contractors capable of carrying out routine and periodic maintenance. Work has since continued on the training of labour-based contractors to expand their skills and work opportunities to include construction and upgrading activities, often in very challenging terrain, using labour-based methods.

ILO has under various agreements provided technical assistance to the LCU in the form of experts developing training material and local capacities to implement training, and has recently been assisting in the course for construction contractors. As the cadre of contractors grow, there is an increased demand for management capacity with the client organisation. Therefore, LCU is now expanding the base by reorienting local consultants to design and supervise labour-based contracts

LCU has become the country's largest employer in rural areas, providing an equal work opportunity for men and women, with an average of 2000 workers regularly to carry out upgrading and maintenance works throughout the country. Representing 4% of the formal sector jobs, this is a very much needed employment opportunity in rural areas where 45% of households are headed by women who else have very limited possibility of waged employment.

Covering about 20% of the road network in the country, LCU is adding another 60 km per year on average, the impacts on quality of life have been clearly demonstrated by facilitating access to social and economic services, like health and education, agricultural extension services, etc. This is taking place in a country where the topography is not on their side in terms of accessibility.

Following its successful implementation of the past programme, the LCU is now getting involved with different types of rural and urban infrastructure works. Lesotho has become an interesting study tour destination and LCU has been requested to provide training internationally.

The LCU is an example of a shift from a larger short-term employment scheme to a carefully thought out capacity building programme for sustainable employment creation in infrastructure provision founded on the countries own resources for development and implementation.