Shata has about twenty years working for the Lesotho Government as a civil servant, mainly as a researcher for the Ministry of Police where he has produced research reports the informed policies and strategies to the enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of policing in the country. Shata holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from Australia and MSc in Social Research Methods (Politics) from UK.

Shata’s first involvement with “smart partnership” occurred during the Southern African International Dialogue of 2005 (SAID 2005), where he served as part f the Project Management Group (PMG) which was in charge of logistical preparations for the dialogue. His love for smart partnership as a unique developmental approach for growing economies never died until he joined the department in September 2019 as a Research Manager. He was appointed the Director in July 2021. Since his arrival, he has steered the Hub in a predominantly pragmatic direction, by harnessing Basotho’s culture of cooperation and partnership to address practical problems facing some population groups or the nation at large. Below is a snapshot of
the collaborative projects that the Hub is pursuing under Shata’s directorship.

a) Poverty reduction and community development projects mainly in rural areas

b) Ex-miners’ Silicosis and TB compensation project

c) Project Re-:a public-private partnership for bicentenary celebration of Basotho as a nation, and to initiate a social transformation process towards the new Lesotho

d) Development of National Vision Document

e) Formation of a sustainable Government-Business cooperative framework