Data on international trade was collected by the National University of Lesotho (NUL) World Trade Organization (WTO) Chair. This data brings to light the obscure data space on international trade in Lesotho. The primary purpose of the exercise was to construct a comprehensive repository of information pertaining to trade-related activities, thus empowering researchers, and students to engage in evidence-based policy formulation.
Two instruments were used for the data collection:
- the Firms Survey Instruments (FSIs) and
- the Key Informant Interview (KIIs)
The study adopted a multi-stage sampling technique for the FSIs. It purposively selected firms across five districts based on their involvement in international trade. A sample of 150 firms were surveyed across five districts (Botha-Bothe, Leribe, Maseru, Mafeteng, and Mokhotlong).
The characteristics of the surveyed firms show that about 48% of the surveyed firms were importers, while at least one-fifth (19.7%) were both importers and exporters. In contrast, a relatively small proportion (5.3%) of the firms engaged in exporting activities. A notable share (27%) of the firms only operated within the domestic markets, meaning that they are neither exporting nor importing. Other details about the data can be extracted from the preliminary report on the data collection design and outcome, as well as the data itself. The uploaded data is in Excel, SPSS, and Stata versions.