TWO Basotho joined other young African leaders in exploring the Czech Republic's deep-rooted cultural heritage, cutting-edge innovation, and opportunities for partnership between Africa and Europe.
Among them was LSP Construction's Teboho Mokonyana, who returned home inspired after participating in the 10-day cultural exchange programme held from 7 to 17 October 2025.
The initiative brought together emerging leaders from at least 15 African countries for capacity-building sessions in fields such as space technology, renewable energy, governance, media, and history.
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Representing Lesotho alongside Advocate Masentle Mmusi-Mosae, Mr Mokonyana said the experience was both educational and empowering, fostering cross-cultural understanding and paving the way for future collaboration between Africa and the Czech Republic.
"I have experience in the media and creative sectors. I was nominated, along with Adv Masentle Mmusi-Mosae, to represent Lesotho in the Czech Republic as part of this cultural exchange initiative," Mr Mokonyana told Lesotho Times yesterday.
"The Czech Republic, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hosted 20 young African leaders from various disciplines, including entrepreneurship, media, and technology."
Participating countries included Cape Verde, Lesotho, Zambia, South Africa, Ethiopia, Algeria, Nigeria, and Morocco.
"The purpose of this trip was for the Czech Republic to position itself as a potential partner for Africa across multiple sectors. They shared insights into their politics, religion, history, and challenges, which offered us a deep understanding of their culture," Mr Mokonyana explained.
He added that they met with Czech entrepreneurs to discuss Africa's investment and skills development needs and visited major media institutions, including Czech Radio and Television.
"We learnt about their media operations, freedom, and progress, both in state-owned and private media," he said.
One of the highlights, Mr Mokonyana said, was attending the Forum 2000 conference in Prague from 12 to 14 October 2025, where the group met Czech President Petr Pavel and engaged him on governance and democracy. They later visited the State House to observe him at work.
In engineering and innovation, the delegation interacted with TRL Space, a Czech company that builds and launches small satellites for earth observation and communication.
"We also visited a nuclear power plant, where we learnt about renewable energy generation as a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to non-renewable sources like coal," he said.
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Mr Mokonyana was particularly struck by the Czech Republic's strong sense of heritage preservation.
"They don't demolish old buildings -- instead, they build modern structures around them, maintaining a balance between history and progress. For instance, we visited Telč, a 900-year-old town listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site," he said.
He also praised Czech civil servants for their professionalism and work ethic, saying their dedication had motivated him to adopt similar values in his own work environment.
"I am grateful to the Czech Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their hospitality and respect. They didn't look down on us because we are from Africa; instead, they treated us as equal partners," he said.
"I also saw unity among African participants -- a shared desire for progress and inclusion in global decision-making."
Mr Mokonyana extended appreciation to the Czech Ambassador to South Africa, Tomáš Uličný; Deputy Ambassador, Petr Cap; Head of Consular and Visa Section for Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa, Michal Jeřábek; Head of Economic Section, David Vaverka, and Andre Bothma for facilitating and supporting their participation in the programme.
