Kutlo Motseta
22nd May 2025
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has signed an MOU with Botswana’s Ministry of Youth and Gender; and Ministry of Home of Affairs, themed “Reimagining Adolescence and Youth Development” at Hotel 430 in Gaborone, Botswana.
The purpose of the agreement is to address challenges that Botswana youth face and endeavour to make timely investment in the lives of the youth to promote their holistic development in order to open a path for them to better lives beyond retirement. The areas of investment are health, education and jobs (employment and self-employment).
“The youth of Botswana are facing great challenges growing in an unequal society. One of the most unequal in the world,” explained Ms. Kefilwe Koogotsitse, UNICEF’s Adolescent Development and HIV Specialist.
She said, “41.1% of youth are not in education … 9% of girls under 18 have experienced sexual violence … 43% of boys and 28% of girls have experienced physical violence …. Births by 15-19 is rising and currently stand at 51 births per 1000 … There is an unequal distribution of new HIV infections amongst adolescent girls and young women … and a decline in the mental health of the youth.”
“We need to make sure that they have decent jobs so that they can plough back into the economy … Adolescence is a key time … to break the intergenerational cycles of poverty,” she added.
The Director of Ministry of Youth and Gender, Nkoloi Nkoloi, highlighted the new administration’s challenges and some of its efforts.
“The number of youth, on the streets is a concern for government. Not just a headache but a monumental task … the new administration is facing hurdles … 300 000 youth are out of school, out of education, out of training … we are reviewing our policy of 2010 … [and] training our young people in entrepreneurship and so on”.
“[but] our mandate is not to create employment but to chase policy around young person, to create conducive environment around the young person so they can thrive … and look at the holistic development of young person … Batho ba re botho ga bo jewe … botho bo a jewa bo pepetlaa motho, meaning …,” said Nkoloi.
Further addressing the challenges of unemployment, Tshepo Mphuting shared discussions that he had with the business community:
“Yesterday I was with the Business Botswana and …. LEA (local Enterprise Authority) reviewing the youth development fund … mainly because it’s meant to be a youth empowerment initiative … and it’s not yielding the results expected … spending P100 000 to develop one job!”
The government’s concern is not just about the educated as it revises its policies and seeks to develop.
“The bulk of unemployment speaks to youth, not just those who have gone to school but also assist in them in the TVET space … what culture do we need to become a high-income country?,” asked Tshepo Nkwadi Deputy Permanent Secretary of mployment and Productivity at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Director of Ministry of Youth and Gender, Nkoloi, reaffirmed the relationship between Botswana and the United Nations, saying, “We encourage the work you are doing with Botswana because you are not just our partners but our friends.”
