The Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Lesotho has approved the appointment of Mrs. Thenjiwe Maphoka Jeanette Namane as the Director of Operations, with effect from 1st January 2006. She shall be responsible for some of the principal functions of the Bank which include the provision of banking services to government and the financial institutions; the issuing and managing of the national currency; and the ensurance of a viable, safe, secure and efficient payments system.  She shall also be responsible for the administration of the Export Development Fund, to assist exporters through the Export Finance Scheme, as well as the guiding of policy that links the Rural Savings and Credit Groups (RSCG) to commercial banks. 

Mrs. Namane began her career as an Accountant at the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC) in 1979, firstly at its subsidiary, Pioneer Motors, and subsequently at headquarters as Senior Executive Officer (Operations Division).  Her illustrious career with the Central Bank of Lesotho began in 1985 when she joined as Head of Division with responsibility to set up the Bank Supervision Division.  Her main responsibility at the time included the monitoring and controlling of the operations of the financial institutions, through the administration of the Financial Institutions Act. 

She left the Central Bank of Lesotho in 1996 to join Lesotho Bank as an Internal Audit Manager, until 2001.  Between 2001 and 2002, she worked as Accounts Coordinator for BP Lesotho where she was responsible for the overall financial and accounting control of the Lesotho operations on behalf of BP Africa head office.  She rejoined the Central Bank of Lesotho in August 2002 where she worked, until her appointment as Director of Operations, as Head of the National Payments System.  In this capacity, she has been responsible for setting up the Division and spearheading the progress of the payments system reform through coordination of the Lesotho National Payments System (LNPS) Modernisation Project.  She has been acting as Director of Operations since June 2005, following the expiration of contract of the former incumbent. 

Born March 22, 1954 in Quthing, Mount Moorosi (Lesotho), she earned her Bachelor of Commerce – Accounting degree from the National University of Lesotho; Post-Graduate Diploma in Accounting and Finance, and Master of Science in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science.  She is also a Chartered Accountant, a profession she obtained in 1985 at the Centre of Accounting Studies in Lesotho.

2006 January, 02