NUL Research and Innovations

Lesotho has ambitious energy goals.

More renewable energy.
Greater energy security.
Universal access to modern energy services.

The challenge is implementation.

How much electricity will the country need in the future? Which technologies should be prioritised? What investments are required? And how can Lesotho reduce its dependence on imported electricity?

These are some of the questions explored by Miss Kamohelo Mafantiri, a Master of Sustainable Energy graduate from the Energy Research Centre – National University of Lesotho - Official , in her dissertation:

Design of National Energy Planning Strategies for Lesotho's New Energy Policy – Towards a Smart Energy System

The research developed and assessed future energy scenarios to examine how Lesotho's energy system could evolve under different development pathways. The scenarios considered renewable energy expansion, energy storage, smart grids, electric mobility, and clean cooking solutions, alongside efforts to strengthen domestic electricity generation.

According to the research, the pathway Lesotho chooses today will influence its ability to meet future energy demand, improve energy security, and support long-term socio-economic development.

As national conversations increasingly focus on moving from commitments to action, studies such as this provide practical insights into how energy policy objectives can be translated into implementation strategies.

Dissertation Link: https://erc.nul.ls/msc-dissertations/

NUL’s Student Tebollo Maputsoe Developes The Sustainable Medication Dispensing System
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Brought to you by NUL Innovation Hub, Where Academia Meets Industry!

The Sustainable Medication Dispensing System provides an innovative solution to the logistical challenges of healthcare access in Lesotho, specifically targeting the inefficiencies associated with chronic medication collection. By integrating Odoo ERP software with ESP32-based IoT hardware, this system replaces manual, high-traffic facility processes with an automated, secure, and decentralized workflow. Patients can now collect their medication via smart lockers, which utilize real-time API validation and OTP authentication to ensure accuracy and privacy, thereby significantly reducing facility congestion and streamlining supply chain management.

The project was completed under the mentorship and supervision of Mr. Setetemela and Mr. Mphatsi. Their guidance was instrumental in the successful delivery of this robust prototype, marking a significant advancement in applying engineering solutions to resolve critical infrastructure challenges within the community.

This project effectively addresses major barriers in public health delivery, including extended wait times, medication collection delays, and an over-reliance on costly, proprietary smart locker solutions. Therefore, by establishing an open-source, locally adaptable infrastructure, the system offers a sustainable alternative that empowers health facilities to manage parcels more efficiently. This software-to-hardware integration not only improves patient access but also demonstrates how accessible technology can be leveraged to modernize medical logistics and promote local industrial innovation.
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NUL’s Dr. Lipalesa Mathe and Dr. Josphine Hapazari Studies The Development of Professional Identity among Lesotho University Lecturers
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Abstract

For university lecturers, professional identities are constructed within discipline-based cultures and the profession itself. With the view that professional identity is acquired through investigating a combination of self-efficacy, job satisfaction, motivation and occupational commitment, this study set out to describe job experiences which influenced the development of professional identity among university lecturers in Lesotho. Utilizing narrative inquiry among a sample of 15 academics, this study describes work experiences within discipline-based cultures which impact on the development of professional identities. The findings showed that academics had the ability to make their own professional choices and realize their own interests against the background of the institution’s conditions, culture, demands and constraints. Thus professional identities at the university were based on sets of meanings that academics held for themselves that defined ‘what it meant’ to be who they were as individuals and role players.
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Mathe, L. Hapazari, J. (2024). The Development of Professional Identity among Lesotho University Lecturers. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications. Online: http://dx.doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.9.03.2019.p8899

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NUL’s Dr. Knight Thebere Studies Capability of conservation agriculture for preservation of organic carbon and succeeding effect on soil properties and productivity- a review
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Abstract

A significant surge in population and soil degradation are global calls for adopting a sustainable agriculture to keep pace production in agricultural-lands which becomes inconsistent and where value of production resource-base degenerate. One of major indicators of agricultural system’s potential is its capability to maintain SOC, because of its significance in sustaining the soil properties and subsequently productivity. This review looks into published literature over two decades for evaluating the effect of tillage in conservation agriculture (CA) on its capability to preserve SOC and overall impacts on soil properties. In-zones where soil and climate are conducive for biomass and the effects on productivity are desirable, CA may result in SOC accrual, which may often be followed by improved soil properties and crop productivity relative to conventional. Nevertheless, in environments not well adapted for CA implementation, considering agronomic, agro-ecological complications, CA may be unsuitable. These may apparently be the reason for observed SOC variability under CA worldwide. Several findings garnered in the 174 publications on CA, demonstrated that zero tillage (ZT) with residue-retention (R) is significant for enhancement of SOC and subsequently, overall soil properties and crop yield. Thus, ZT+R can be recommended to sustain yield and biodiversity, based on this review.
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Knight Nthebere et al., (2024). Capability of conservation agriculture for preservation of organic carbon and succeeding effect on soil properties and productivity- a review. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science. Online: https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2024.2419507

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NUL’s Dr. Ratakane Batista Maime Studies The Impact of 4IR Technologies on Venture Creation and Technology Commercialisation: Insights and Exemplars from an Emerging Economy Context
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Abstract

Despite the hype and promise of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies to transform high-tech start-up development in South Africa, a reality check on venture creation and technology commercialisation suggests some disappointing outcomes. Although some semblance of 4IR preparedness manifested in the constitution of the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the convening of the Free State 4IR Summit, and the institutionalisation of entrepreneurial spirit through the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) in South Africa, some demonstrable outcomes such as the creation of new technology start-ups, commercialisation of intellectual property through the development of patents, industrial designs, and prototypes are yet to materialise. Drawing on entrepreneurial ecosystems theory, we challenge the monolithic, government-driven approach to 4IR and propose a bottom-up approach in which serial technology entrepreneurs and their local entrepreneurial ecosystems must serve as the main cogs for the exploitation of 4IR technologies to support effective venture creation and the commercialisation of technology innovations. The chapter draws on exemplars of the appropriation, institutionalisation, and domestication of 4IR technologies to provide a techno-infrastructural dashboard that could inform the pipeline of technology venture creation and commercialisation of outcomes. The chapter concludes with some practical implications for improving high-tech venture outcomes.
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Rambe, P., Maime, R. (2023). The Impact of 4IR Technologies on Venture Creation and Technology Commercialisation: Insights and Exemplars from an Emerging Economy Context. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Online: https://doi.org/10.1007/9

MILCO was founded by the NUL Innovation Hub Ladies and Gentlemen