The making of the future MASERU-THE prevailing wisdom in Lesotho’s textile sector is that you cannot start a factory without expatriates from Taiwan, China, and Sri Lanka. That explains why nearly all textile factories have huge contingents of expatriates specialising in sewing machine mechanics, pattern designers, fabric experts, sewing machine operators, production managers, supervisors. Sometimes factories hire expatriates for mundane clerical work like processing orders, exports, imports and basic accounting. That is why, to a larger extent, the transfer of crucial skills to locals has been slow. It doesn’t help that graduates in Lesotho look down on careers in the textile sector despite the fact that the factories offer decent wages and have a dire shortage of skilled labour.