Mr. Joshua Setipa

Joshua Setipa graduated from the Universities of Bradford (MBA), Australian National University and the National University of Lesotho.
His core competencies are economic development issues, regional and global trade and economic issues, and investment mobilization. He has over 20 years of experience gained at the national, regional and international levels working on economic and development issues. He has substantive field experience working on regional economic development issues in Eastern, Southern and Western Africa, with focus
on economic sector reform and regional economic integration issues and extensive experience working on multilateral trade issues and their impact on regional integration and economic development.

He is currently the Senior Director, Strategy, Portfolio, Partnerships and Digital Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat. He was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as the first Managing Director of the UN Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries in November 2018.

From 2017 to 2018, he served as a senior consultant at the World Bank in Washington DC working on a multi donor regional Trade Facilitation Project for the ECOWAS region.

From 2015 to 2017, he served as the Minister for Trade and Industry in Lesotho.

From 2012 to 2014 he served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Lesotho National Development Cooperation, an institution charged with mobilization of foreign direct investment to Lesotho.

From 2005 to 2011, he served as Senior Adviser to the WTO Director General.

From 1992 to 2003, served in various capacities within the Lesotho Foreign Service, with a key focus on economic and trade matters.