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H.E.
David Mohlomi Rantekoa
In June 2008,
His Excellency Ambassador David Mohlomi Rantekoa presented
his credentials to President George W. Bush and took up the
position of Ambassador and Plenipotentiary of Kingdom of
Lesotho to the United States. Ambassador Rantekoa brings to
the post more than 30 years of experience as a public
servant, trade negotiator, advocate for good governance and
strong supporter of private-sector led growth. His arrival
comes at a critical time in Lesotho’s relationship with
Washington, as new US-Africa initiatives are developed and
bilateral and multilateral trade agreements move forward.
Prior to arriving in Washington, Ambassador Rantekoa served
as the Principal Secretary of Lesotho’s Ministry of Trade
and Industry, where he championed Lesotho’s economic
interests in regional and global trade negotiations. A
tireless proponent of free trade, Ambassador Rantekoa has
been a leader in trade negotiations with SACU, Southern
African Development Community (SADC), the European Union,
the World Trade Organization (WTO), the UN Industrial
Development Corporation, the UN Conference on Trade and
Development and the Office of the United States Trade
Representative. His leadership in trade negotiations helped
Lesotho to be selected to chair the group of 32 Least
Developed Countries (LDCs) at the WTO Doha Round. In
Febraury 2008, Ambassador Rantekoa chaired the meeting of
LDCs that led to the Maseru Declaration outlining the
group’s trade objectives for upcoming Doha Round
negotiations. He was responsible to play a key role as the
group presses its position at the WTO in Geneva.
Before joining the Ministry of Trade in 1995, Ambassador
Rantekoa served as Deputy Principal Secretary at the
Ministry of Finance where he helped to coordinate the
government’s fiscal and monetary policy and oversaw the
transfer of government accounts from Standard Chartered Bank
to the new created Central Bank of Lesotho.
Throughout his career, Ambassador Rantekoa has held
leadership positions at many of Lesotho’s key public
enterprises and companies. He has served on the boards of
Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC), Basotho
Enterprises Development Corporation, Lesotho Sun Hotel,
Maseru Sun Hotel, Lesotho Revenue Authority, Lesotho
National Diary Board, Lesotho Highlands Development
Authority and the Lesotho Electricity Company.
His priorities in Washington include working for the
expansion of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA),
facilitating implementation of Lesotho’s $362.5 million
Millennium Challenge Compact, promoting Lesotho as the
global destination for ethical apparel sourcing and creating
opportunities for Lesotho to develop its human capital
through training and education.
Ambassador Rantekoa is also Lesotho’s chief representative
to several South American countries and is concluding
negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement between SACU
and MERCOSUR countries of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and
Uruguay. He is married with two daughters and one son.
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