The United States was one of the first four countries to establish an embassy in Maseru after Lesotho gained its independence from Great Britain in 1966.

Since this time, Lesotho and the United States have consistently maintained positive bilateral relations.

The Southern African regional office of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Gaborone, Botswana now administers most of the U.S. assistance to Lesotho, which totalled approximately $54 million in FY 2016.

[2] The Government of Lesotho encourages greater American participation in commercial life and welcomes interest from potential U.S. investors and suppliers.

The compact ended in September 2013, with approximately 1 million people expecting to benefit from its investments.