Engages Minister of Youth & Gender on Youth Sector Challenges

This morning, a delegation from the Business Botswana Youth Sector, led by Chairperson Thabiso Titus Paul and Deputy Chairperson Ogaufi Setlhogile, met with the Minister of Youth and Gender, Hon. Lesego Chombo. They were accompanied by Business Botswana CEO Mr. Norman Moleele, Head of Policy and Research Mpaphi Tsholofelo, Sector Coordinator Modiri Thekiso, and youth sector members. The high-level consultative meeting focused on critical issues affecting the youth business sector in Botswana.

 

Youth Sector Chairperson Mr. Paul highlighted several pressing concerns. He emphasised that youth companies struggle with competitiveness in tendering processes despite existing preferential policies. He also noted that youth-led businesses are underutilised in the digital transformation of public services. Mr. Paul advocated for the optimal utilisation of the Youth Development Fund, expressing confidence that young people can excel as entrepreneurs with the right policy platforms, effective funding models, and opportunities to connect with key decision-makers.

 

Ms. Ogaufi Setlhogile, the Vice Sector Chairperson, further elaborated on the low uptake of youth in tendering processes, attributing it potentially to a lack of understanding and capacity regarding procurement procedures. She suggested educating youth about government procurement processes to address this gap. Regarding digital services, Ms. Setlhogile stressed that youth companies are not fully engaged in leading ongoing innovations.

 

Mr. Tumelo Mapila underscored the need for greater alignment among support institutions such as BDIH, LEA, and CEDA, noting that current fragmentation can lead to duplication of efforts and reduced impact. To address this, he proposed the establishment of a centralised dashboard designed to strengthen coordination and provide strategic oversight in advancing youth, women lead, and special needs business development.

He further emphasised that the dashboard would facilitate structured appraisal of youth-led enterprises, offering corporates a reliable basis for identifying and engaging high-performing businesses. Where appraisal results highlight competency gaps, targeted developmental initiatives could be introduced to build capacity and improve readiness for market participation.

 

In response, Hon. Chombo acknowledged the challenges and reaffirmed the Ministry’s readiness to collaborate with Business Botswana to empower youth and women. She emphasised the need for policy coherence and institutional synergy to improve service delivery and opportunity access for young entrepreneurs.