People From Botswana

"There is always someone rooting for you and trying to connect you, which has really been instrumental."

"I made sure to always have a respectable reference; people don’t like to talk to complete strangers therefore I advise people to network as often as possible; join clubs, go to conferences, go to business social events and really talk to as many people as possible on a regular basis so that you constantly know someone who knows someone."

"More women need to take bold steps into fields that aren’t traditionally attractive to women; for example fashion, beauty, culinary arts, which are all great but within our comfort zone which is keeping us away from tapping into medicine, engineering, coding, agriculture, etc."

"I have been in rooms with women brainstorming and I just think we are such powerful problem solvers who can conquer any challenge out there; so I just invite more ladies to lose the inner critic and take that leap into tech and other non-traditional female enterprises."

"The best advice I got was that “the best way to predict the future is to create it”."

"“Being patient and listening to your intuition helps you decide when to keep going or when to refine your strategy.”"

"Founders Spotlight: Tuduetso Masire (Founder, MatchAPro) (18 May 2022)"

"Be very clear what you want to achieve and go after it and achieve it, but also be empathetic and supportive to those that you work with"

"Do your best, don’t try to do perfection otherwise you won’t be able to have a life."

"Doping continues to be a thorn in the development of our sport as the scandals surrounding issues of doping do tarnisha the image and kills the integrity of sport. Efforts to educate and eradicate doping amongst our athletes are very imperative and each one of us has a role to play to ensure that our athletes compete clean."

"The presence of a profound science and technology institution in place fosters and drives a culture of research and development, resulting in innovative solutions and outputs that have an impact on productivity and stimulation of economic growth."

"The fact that you buy our diamonds is by itself an act of commitment to our country- wherever you are, you carry a bit of Botswana with you"

"Please care for it, because we care about it. Please use it wisely, because we have used it wisely."

"Funds raised from diamonds have not just built our roads, but also our people."

"In assuming the position of President of this Republic on this important day, I need your support, your prayers and blessings to effectively fulfil the Presidential Oath that I have just taken. I once again pledge to play my part and to do my outmost best to address the needs of the people of this nation and to work with you to realise both our dreams and our vision as a nation."

"It (widespread travel bans imposed against Botswana due to the emerging of Omicron coronavirus variant) is unnecessary and if you ask me, for lack of a better expression, irresponsible. The (four) diplomats (who tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus) came from a number of countries ... and they passed through a number of countries to get to Botswana."

"“I value conversations with people who come from a different background from me. There is a lot of humility you learn through listening to others and allowing yourself to be guided by the wisdom of others. This also helped me a lot professionally, personally and socially”. Gogontlejang Phaladi, Gogontlejang Phaladi: Where there is passion, there is an undying spirit of persistence by Nonofo Nkwe."

"“Every child has the right to be educated. Education in Botswana must be compulsory.”"

"“We children have been missing from the picture for more than two decades when talking about issues of HIV/AIDS.”"

"“We cannot wait another 25 years. We need to push for accountability to make sufficient progress in addressing the current government deficit to deliver on the sexual and reproductive health and rights commitments for women.”"

"“Stand up and take action. Refuse to be silent."

"Stand up, rise up and push forward for a better Africa. Nobody is going to do this for us. We need to do it for ourselves”."

"“If you don’t have a seat at the table, you will sit on the floor."

"“It is important to appreciate that there is value in listening to others’ opinions. Even if you may not agree, they bring the much-needed objectivity to your point of view.”"

"“I find something interesting in my country that Agricultural demonstrators from the Government go to the cattle post, the farms and rural areas to give the cows their bolus but we don't have health care workers who do such health outreaches to immunize babies.”"

"“Ladies and gentlemen let us understand that political will and commitment is just not in signing treaties and attending high level meetings.It is increasing National budget for the health sector. It is in having adolescent and gender responsive policies and programming.”"

"“The two biggest challenges that i face all my life as a young leader has always been my age and gender. Coming from an exclusively patriarchal or masculine society rather l have always been perceived to be a bit of a wrong gender to achieve and reach certain milestones and a bit too young to dream, to be ambitious to be an active agent of change and a catalyst of development.”"

"“Being a humanitarian or an active agent of change is not an activity you will one day outgrow, its also not a job that you can retire or resign from. It is part of who I am, My purpose”."

"“In Africa culture plays a significant role in molding our society because we have a deeply rooted cultural background. We need to to be able to eliminate the good and the bad from our cultural practices and see how we can encourage good practices such as breast feeding and see how we can talk against early child marriages and genitalia mutilation.”"

"“Recommendations are there we already know what needs to be done. What we need is action, action and more action. We need to make sure relevant stakeholders are involved, young people need to be on the forefront.”"

"“To the girl child i want to say you are amazing. The world is really unfair but it owes you absolutely nothing. Every rejection that is thrown at you, use it to build your own strength.” Gogontlejang Phaladi, Powerful women in Botswana , YouTube (25 February 2017). Retrieved 24 November 2021."

"GBV is not only a blatant violation of human rights, it has consequences for the victims, their families, and nations as a whole."

"First Lady reflects on personal professional journey 10/11/2019"

"“I would like to say to women out there, believe it, visualise it and don’t apologise to anybody, venture into the unexplored areas, don’t make excuses. Lift other women up. It’s amazing what happens when you do that, you will be lifted even higher,”"

""On this road you can crawl if you want, you can walk if you want, you can run if you want, you can fly if you want. I decided to fly... don’t wait for anyone to place those wings on you,”"

"True leadership does not believe in grand titles but in taking responsibility of other people’s lives."

"Neo Masisi inspires Women 31/12/2020"

"“It is important that as women we make personal pledges to make a contribution in providing solutions to these challenges – what is my contribution in my small corner?”"

"As a nation, we have the moral obligation to protect our children from sexual abuse. We need to love, nurture and protect these children ensuring that this protection is both emotional and physical."

"Today I would like to appeal to all men and women across the country to rise up and say E seng mo ngwaneng! We call on men and women from all four corners of Botswana to make a personal commitment to step out of the sidelines and be part of the solution to end sexual exploitation and abuse. We need to speak with one voice and advocate for the protection of children, no matter what it takes."

"Sexual Exploitation and Abuse is a very complex issue and it is made worse by the secrecy that surrounds it. The secrecy is driven by our society which may stigmatise the victim and even their family – cultural norms may be a barrier to speaking out (more-so that in the majority of cases the perpetrator is someone who the victim or their family trusts) Since nobody talks about it, many children who are victims suffer in silence while we all turn a blind eye to it."

"I firmly believe in the importance to empower infertile women, who are mistreated and discriminated against in many cultures for not being able to have children and start a family."

"As women, we need to continue to rise in our capacity as leaders in civil society, private sector, public sector and other spheres-to look at how we can help each other thrive in environments where we grow, where we are supported and protected."

"Without land we are not secure. The reason I am saying land is important, is that when you look at the trees, you feel satisfied. Not because you have eaten, but because it is your land. Without land you are like a bird that is flying from one place to another without a nest. That is why land is important."

"If anyone has read a lot of books and thinks I am primitive because I have not read even one, then he should throw away those books and get one which says we are all brothers and sisters under God and we too have a right to live."

"We are not primitive. We live differently to you, but we do not live exactly like our grandparents did, nor do you. Were your ancestors 'primitive'? I don't think so. We respect our ancestors. We love our children. This is the same for all people."

"What kind of development is it when the people lead shorter lives than before? They catch HIV/AIDS. Our children are beaten in school and won't go. Some become prostitutes. They are not allowed to hunt. They fight because they are bored and get drunk. They are starting to commit suicide. We never saw that before. Is this "development"?"