Jacob Kelebeng

"We are building a Botswana that will be a global hub for sports, culture and the creative industries."

"Artists are businesses. They must be recognised and supported as such."

"We must take full advantage of digital marketplaces, streaming services, and international festivals."

"Our artists should not be limited by geography."

"We must build an ecosystem where Botswana’s stories are told by Batswana, produced by Batswana, and exported to the world."

"This will not be a talk shop."

"The feedback from today’s discussions will be taken seriously, and we will report back soon."

"We have realised that local athletes experience breakdowns after winning and getting money."

"Some derail and use money unwisely."

"We need to engage athletes and national sporting associations on welfare issues and take this matter very seriously."

"This is not just about managing money,” Kelebeng added. “It’s about creating a support system that helps athletes build sustainable futures. We want to ensure that their success doesn’t end on the field."

"We have said that high-class facilities are needed."

"On facilities, this new government intends to construct infrastructure that will enable us to compete with other countries."

"This is about setting the stage for consistent excellence in sports."

"There is a policy as to how we incentivize our athletes or sporting codes. So what we will do is to look at the policy but currently the policy is under review because we are not just looking at short term but the long term."

"So we have a policy that guides us at what to do when athletes have performed like this on these stages for different sports."

"We are happy with how the athletes performed at Tokyo. We really believe in them and now we are expecting more from these kids to do well. We are really happy."

"I spoke to them. We had to wait for the event (World Relays) to pass. It was not about payments, but more to do with their welfare. They are concerned that they are not getting the attention they deserve when it comes to preparations. Payments also come late. We promised that we are going to improve our communication."

"It is in athletics where we do well. We ask, what can we do to improve their performance? What can we do in terms of how we do our things? I spoke to the boys when we were in China, but some were already taking part in their respective races. I managed to speak to their (Olympics) captain (Boitumelo) Masilo."

"We are still with the entire team, but I know their problems and internally we are working towards addressing that. We need to achieve a common goal. It is not about who is right or who is wrong."

"We must never allow such incidents to repeat again as they destabilise. We are hosting the World Relays next year as well as the Grand Prix again. We need to protect our record."

"What I am going to do, very soon, I am going to meet representatives of all sport association. We need to address all welfare issues."

"We want these associations to be professional, manage things well and not damage the confidence that the private sector has. I am going to talk to these associations very soon. We are addressing all the problems and I hope once we meet with the associations, they will understand the vision that we have for our sport."

"From school sport to elite sport, we will need coordination. School sport is on the way, we will have school sport and we will have school development programmes. We will announce these very soon."

"The study is ongoing, and an Inception report, a Needs Assessment and Solution Options Report were submitted in January 2025 for consideration."

"The key priorities include private sector participation and leveraging on digital platforms to enable streaming, e-commerce and mobile distribution of Botswana’s music, film, fashion and visual arts."

"We have identified grassroots development as a key priority area, recognising it as the foundation for long-term growth and success in both sectors. To this end, the ministry has, upon its inception in November 2024, set its sights on ensuring the return of school sport and arts as an inextricable component of grassroots development. From the onset, MoSA have always known and appreciated unions as critical stakeholders and custodians of teachers' rights. It is for this reason that we engaged them in earnest on the matter of school sport at the beginning of 2025."

"This delay by the unions caused a major disruption to our intended timeline of delivering school sport to the nation. Due to the belated response, the MoSA, along Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education, determined to bring about an interim solution whilst the negotiations remain ongoing."

"We could no longer wait and sit on the rights of children. Our engagement with unions remains active, with our last meeting held on August 4. Currently, the proposals by the unions are undergoing assessment by our technical teams as agreed with the unions. A technical committee on School Sport has been formed, and it has representation of the ministries of Child Welfare and Basic Education, Sport and Arts, Local Government and Traditional Affairs, and the Ministry of Health."

"In the meantime, we will let children play within the prescribed school hours. After the technical teams' review, we are confident of a more competitive programme at the beginning of the first term of 2026."