The Embassy of Lesotho

Amb. Barbara Masupha

Her Excellency Senate Barbara Masupha has been Lesotho’s Ambassador to Germany since 6th May 2021. She is also ambassador to France, Russia, Poland, Holy See, Monaco and Austria. She began her Foreign Service career in 2007 as the Counsellor for Political and Economic Bilateral and Multilateral Relations at Lesotho’s Embassy in Rome, Italy, and ultimately became Chargé d’Affaires with oversight responsibility for the three Rome-based UN Agricultural Development Agencies. Previously she held senior positions in South Africa: as Assistant Director for Research and Policy for Johannesburg; Principal Planner at the Department of Traditional and Local Government Affairs; and Senior Researcher at the University of Natal, where she handled political, research, policy development, legal and international relations issues. In the business world, she has met face-to-face with key decision makers across several industries and has served as a panel member and presenter in high-level conferences on such issues as international law and policies, gender, women’s rights and diplomacy.

Diplomatic relations between Germany and Lesotho were established in 1966 and for many years bilateral relations with Lesotho were largely dominated by German development cooperation. These relations are close and based upon trust, with frequent close consultations between the two countries in international bodies. 

Germany is highly respected in Lesotho, on account of its development cooperation with the country. This cooperation focuses on supporting decentralized rural development, and the establishment of efficient decentralized institutions, including service providers at district level but above all local authorities. This, it is hoped, will improve services to the poor in particular and strengthen the political participation of the people. This is helping to implement the government of Lesotho’s national development strategy.