Shao who is a local businessman is a nominee under a new party called Basotho Pele, Maseru Metro reports.
An independent candidate of Chinese descent, Jason Shao is vying to be elected to Parliament in Lesotho, Southern Africa.
Shao is a Chinese national who naturalised and became a citizen of Lesotho in 2006.
Shao has promised to create numerous employment opportunities for Basotho if he is elected to Parliament in the upcoming general elections scheduled for October 7, 2022.
Shao who is a local businessman is a nominee under a new party called Basotho Pele, Maseru Metro reports.
Basotho Pele is a development organisation whose main objective is to bring change to the community.
It primarily focuses on the community of Ha Tsolo in Maseru on development projects such as sports, education and agriculture to mention a few.
Shao promised to develop both the manufacturing and agricultural sectors in a bid to promote the local economy.
He said crop and livestock production would be improved through scientific methods, citing hybrid seed production, irrigation schemes and dry farming facilities among others.
“Lesotho should have its own firms that manufacture motor vehicles, spares and electronic devices so that we do not have to buy everything from other countries, we should also export items produced in the country,” he said.
“Public safety and security of investors and their assets are key to the improvement of the economy of any country, hence, security agencies will be provided with proficient training to ensure the safety of all investments in the country."
He described education as integral to the development of the economy, adding that the type of education Lesotho provides does not offer the relevant skills required to grow the country and its people.
“I plan to improve education and focus on fields like engineering so that the country could build better roads, dams and buildings. The world is currently training people on the fourth industrial revolution, therefore Lesotho should be no exception. I will empower Basotho with relevant skills that will answer the needs of the country like artificial intelligence, automation and blockchain technology,” he further said.
Shao made history when he became the first foreigner to highlight their intentions to stand for the national assembly general elections.
There is a total of 65 political parties vying for the 120 parliamentary
seats, 80 of which are constituency seats while 40 are for the Proportional Representation (PR) compensatory seats.