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Progressive Institute is a fast growing consulting firm which provides conference solutions, business consulting, and leadership training services.
We have built our name to become leaders in conferencing and hosted global thought leaders in Botswana.
WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN – LUCARA MD SHARES HOW
Speaking at the Botswana Mining Show, Lucara Botswana Managing Director Naseem Lahri highlighted how mining companies can go beyond extracting minerals and deliberately create opportunities that empower Batswana and strengthen local communities.
Lahri shared Lucara’s approach to community development, emphasising that Botswana’s mineral wealth should translate into opportunities, skills, exposure and sustainable livelihoods for its people.
One visible example of this philosophy has been Lucara Botswana’s support for Botswana’s representatives on international pageant platforms. Through partnerships around Botswana’s diamonds, the company has helped demonstrate how the country’s natural resources can be connected to national identity, talent, creativity and global visibility.
Botswana beauty queens have increasingly carried the country's diamond story onto international stages. Anicia Gaothusi, representing Botswana at the 72nd Miss World finale, appeared in a remarkable natural-diamond jewellery creation associated with Lucara Botswana and international luxury jewellery house Messika. Her predecessor, Lesego Chombo, similarly showcased Botswana diamonds on the global stage.
These initiatives demonstrate a much broader opportunity for Botswana: diamonds do not have to be viewed only as commodities extracted and exported. They can become part of a wider value chain encompassing jewellery, fashion, tourism, creative industries, entrepreneurship, branding and international marketing.
Lahri's message at the Botswana Mining Show reinforced the importance of mining companies understanding themselves as partners in national development. Community empowerment can take many forms — supporting education, developing local businesses, creating employment pathways, investing in young people and providing platforms through which Batswana can access opportunities that may previously have appeared beyond their reach.
The lesson is simple: we can make it happen.
Botswana has mined diamonds for decades. The next chapter should increasingly be about ensuring that more Batswana participate in the opportunities created around those diamonds — from the mine itself to technology, skills development, entrepreneurship, jewellery, tourism and the global marketplace.
The Botswana Mining Show provides a platform for conversations such as these, bringing mining companies, communities, entrepreneurs, policymakers and citizens together to explore how Botswana's mineral resources can create broader and more inclusive economic opportunities.
As the mining industry enters a new era, success should not only be measured by what comes out of the ground, but also by what mining makes possible for the people and communities around it.
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𝐄𝐗𝐇𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐒𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖
The Botswana Mining Show is designed to expand your reach, grow your network and connect your business to opportunities across the mining value chain.
With over 20,000 participants expected, including more than 2,500 executives and decision-makers, this is your opportunity to showcase your business, generate leads, build strategic relationships and unlock new opportunities.
Exhibit. Connect. Network. Grow.
27–29 October 2026 | Ditshupo & Boipuso Halls, Gaborone
Free Event. Register Now www.botswanaminingshow.com
Or Contact Us
📧 [email protected]
☎️ 311 1490
Your next business opportunity could be one connection away.
AN EVENT DESIGNED FOR CLARITY
The Botswana Mining Show was created for people who want to understand the mining industry, its opportunities, challenges and the entire value chain.
Following the success of the inaugural event, this year’s edition will feature four major conferences:
• Strategic Conference
• Technical & Innovation Conference
• Mining Careers & Future of Work Conference
• Community Development & Citizen Empowerment Conference
Whether you are an industry professional, entrepreneur, supplier, student, investor or simply want to understand where Botswana’s mining industry is going, this is your platform to learn, connect and discover opportunities.
27–29 October 2026 | Ditshupo & Boipuso Halls, Gaborone
Registration is FREE. Register today:
www.botswanaminingshow.com
(http://www.botswanaminingshow.com)
Understand the industry. Discover the opportunities. Be part of the conversation.
⛏️ 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐒𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 — 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍!
Botswana’s mining industry is coming together for 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.
📅 𝟐𝟕–𝟐𝟗 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
📍 𝐃𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐩𝐨 & 𝐁𝐨𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬, 𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞
Featuring 𝟒 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝟏𝟎𝟎+ 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬.
Whether you want to do business, build your career, find opportunities or understand the future of mining — this is where you need to be.
🎟️ 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄!
Register today: http://www.botswanaminingshow.com
For sponsorships and Exhibitions please call our office on + 267 3111490 or email [email protected]
Botswana Mining Show 2026 — Exploring New Frontiers.
13/08/2026
𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝟐 𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐒- 𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
13/08/2026
𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐒𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐀 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐔𝐒: 𝐓𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍, 𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐗𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄
Botswana’s public service must modernise its workplaces, embrace flexibility and create an environment that recognises employees as people with families and responsibilities beyond the office, AFRINEX Limited Mauritius Chief Executive Officer, Thapelo Tsheole, has said.
The well-travelled corporate executive and capital markets leader captivated delegates at the 2nd Annual Botswana Public Service Leadership Conference, drawing on leadership lessons from Botswana, Rwanda and Mauritius to challenge senior public officers to rethink how government institutions manage people and deliver results.
Tsheole, who previously served as Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Stock Exchange before taking up the leadership of Rwanda’s Capital Market Authority and subsequently AFRINEX in Mauritius, said his experience across different countries had exposed him to different approaches to leadership, workplace culture and institutional transformation.
A major lesson, he said, is that organisations cannot pursue productivity while ignoring the realities of the people expected to deliver it.
“We do not have a work environment that accommodates family here. That is something we need to address,” Tsheole said.
He argued that an excessive focus on tasks and physical presence could come at the expense of employee wellbeing and ultimately undermine sustainable performance.
Employees Are Not Production Machines
Tsheole challenged leaders to move away from traditional management cultures where employees are treated primarily as instruments of production.
Modern organisations, he said, increasingly recognise that employees are parents, spouses, caregivers and members of communities. Their responsibilities do not disappear when they enter the workplace.
The challenge for leadership is therefore to design systems that allow employees to meet these responsibilities while remaining accountable for results.
For Botswana’s public service, this could require a deeper conversation around flexible working arrangements, greater use of technology, modern performance-management systems and workplace policies that measure employees by what they deliver rather than simply how long they remain at their desks.
Flexibility, Tsheole stressed, should not be mistaken for reduced accountability. Instead, properly implemented flexibility can create a more motivated workforce while strengthening productivity and institutional performance.
Lessons From Botswana, Rwanda and Mauritius
Drawing on his journey from Botswana to Rwanda and Mauritius, Tsheole highlighted how exposure to different countries and institutional cultures had shaped his understanding of transformation.
While countries have different histories, systems and economic circumstances, he said successful institutions increasingly share an ability to adapt quickly, empower their people and continuously question practices that no longer serve their purpose.
His message to Botswana’s senior public service leadership was that transformation cannot simply mean introducing new technology while maintaining old ways of thinking.
Government must continuously ask whether its structures, policies and workplace practices are appropriate for the workforce and society it serves today.
The modern public servant is also operating in a different world. Technology has transformed communication, information is available instantly and younger generations entering the workforce have different expectations around leadership, career development, flexibility and organisational purpose.
Public institutions therefore have to evolve.
Modernisation Must Change How People Work
Tsheole said digital transformation should ultimately make government more efficient while improving the experience of both employees and citizens.
Technology creates opportunities for work to be performed differently, decisions to be made faster and employees to collaborate without always being physically located in the same office.
This means public institutions should interrogate long-standing practices and ask whether they remain necessary.
A modern public service, he suggested, should focus increasingly on outcomes rather than presence, performance rather than routine, and accountability rather than bureaucracy.
Such an approach would also help Government compete for talent with the private sector and international organisations.
As skilled professionals become increasingly mobile, Botswana's public service will have to create an environment capable not only of attracting talented people but also retaining and motivating them.
Leadership Must Evolve With the Workforce
Tsheole's presentation also placed responsibility for transformation firmly on leaders.
Policies alone cannot create modern institutions if leadership behaviour remains unchanged.
Senior leaders must be willing to listen, learn from other jurisdictions and recognise that leadership approaches that worked in previous decades may not necessarily work for today's workforce.
His own leadership journey across three African markets demonstrated the value of exposure beyond one's immediate environment.
Botswana, he argued, does not have to copy Rwanda, Mauritius or any other country. It can, however, learn from what works elsewhere and adapt those lessons to its own circumstances.
The same principle applies within institutions: leaders should be prepared to learn from younger employees, technology specialists, frontline workers and citizens who interact with government services every day.
A Public Service Fit for the Future
Tsheole's message ultimately centred on the need to build a public service capable of responding to a rapidly changing world without losing sight of the people who make institutions work.
Transformation should therefore extend beyond restructuring departments, purchasing new technology or developing new strategies.
It should reach the everyday experience of the employee.
For Botswana, creating a modern public service will require balancing delivery with wellbeing, flexibility with accountability, technology with humanity, and institutional discipline with the realities of modern family life.
As Botswana pursues greater efficiency and improved service delivery, Tsheole's challenge to leaders was clear: the public service of the future cannot be built entirely around yesterday's workplace.
It must become more agile, more human-centred and more responsive — while remaining uncompromising on performance and results.
13/08/2026
𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐒𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐀’𝐒 𝐇𝐔𝐋𝐄 𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐒 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊
Debswana Senior Human Resources Manager – Employee Relations, Tebatso Hule, has urged leaders to build workplaces where people with different ways of thinking, communicating and seeing the world can thrive, warning that organisations risk losing exceptional talent when difference is treated as a problem rather than a strength.
Speaking at the Public Service Leadership Conference, Hule drew from Debswana’s experience in managing a large and highly diverse workforce to share lessons on employee relations, trade union partnerships, inclusion and the growing importance of understanding neurodiversity in the workplace.
His central message was that leadership requires the ability to work effectively with people who may not think like us, communicate like us or agree with us.
A Workplace More Diverse Than Mining
Hule began by giving delegates a glimpse into the employment universe at Debswana, which extends far beyond the professions traditionally associated with a mining company.
The company employs engineers and miners, but also teachers, nurses, doctors, pilots, security officers, conservationists and professionals from many other disciplines.
“If you work in HR at Debswana, it's quite a privilege. It is the one company where you can be recruiting a nurse in the morning and a pilot in the afternoon.”
This diversity, he explained, creates a complex people-management environment requiring HR practitioners and leaders to understand different professions, expectations, backgrounds and ways of working.
But beneath all those differences is one fundamental reality: a job is bigger than the person occupying it.
“Employment is something that we take very seriously at Debswana and is something that should be taken very seriously and protected by everyone tasked with managing and leading people,” Hule said.
For every employee, there may be children, parents and extended family members whose livelihoods depend on that employment. Decisions affecting jobs must therefore be approached with fairness, responsibility and an appreciation of their wider social consequences.
Unions Should Be Partners, Not Enemies
Hule also challenged the sometimes adversarial relationship between management and organised labour.
He said Debswana recognises employees' constitutional right to freedom of association and views the Botswana Mine Workers Union as an important partner rather than an opponent.
“We have no problem with people enjoying their rights to freedom of association. We encourage it. We see the union as a real partner that we work with.”
Debswana's approach, he said, goes beyond simply meeting the union across the negotiating table. The company also invests in strengthening the union's capacity so that engagements between management and labour are informed, constructive and focused on the sustainability of the business and the welfare of employees.
“We want to engage with an effective union that is thinking in a business-like manner so that the conversations are rich and meaningful,” Hule said.
The company has also developed robust mechanisms for resolving grievances and employment disputes, with organised labour participating in finding solutions.
The lesson for leaders, particularly those managing large institutions, is that disagreement does not necessarily mean dysfunction. Organisations can create systems in which people disagree strongly while maintaining mutual respect and working towards common objectives.
From Cleaning Services to Driving Mining Giants
Hule further demonstrated how deliberate inclusion can transform people's economic opportunities.
He shared the example of women who previously worked in cleaning services and were subsequently trained to operate Debswana's enormous mining trucks—opening a pathway into occupations historically dominated by men.
“If you go to our mines, it is common that if you are seeing a truck passing by, it is highly likely that it will be driven by a lady.”
The intervention demonstrates that inclusion cannot simply be about representation. It must also create opportunities for people to acquire skills, access better jobs and participate meaningfully in areas from which they may historically have been excluded.
Hule said Debswana has similarly brought 113 differently abled people into employment over the past two years.
Importantly, recruitment was not where the process ended.
The company has worked to create an enabling environment through assistive devices, specialised software and sign-language interpretation, recognising that opening the door to employment means little if the workplace itself prevents an employee from succeeding.
The Next Inclusion Conversation: Neurodiversity
Hule then turned delegates' attention to an area that is increasingly important in modern workplaces: neurodiversity.
People do not all process information, communicate, learn, concentrate or solve problems in the same way. Conditions such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia, among others, can influence how individuals experience conventional workplaces.
“People are wired to think differently. People who are autistic have a hard time at work. So we as leaders, we must be alive to the differences,” Hule said.
His message challenges traditional assumptions about what a “good employee” looks or sounds like.
An employee who communicates differently, challenges prevailing thinking, struggles with certain social environments or approaches a problem from an unconventional direction should not automatically be regarded as difficult or incapable.
Sometimes, difference may be exactly where extraordinary capability lies.
“If we are sidelining these people, we are going to miss out on their potential because some may have super brains and special mental computation capabilities that can be beneficial to the very success of the organisation.”
For leaders, this requires moving beyond simply tolerating differences towards designing workplaces where different kinds of minds can perform at their best.
Leadership Means Being Comfortable With Difference
Hule's presentation ultimately raised a broader leadership question for both the private sector and Botswana's public service: Can leaders successfully lead people who are different from them?
Modern organisations bring together generations, professions, cultures, personalities, abilities and increasingly recognised forms of neurodiversity. Leaders will encounter employees who challenge them, unions that disagree with management, professionals who communicate differently and individuals whose talents may not fit traditional organisational expectations.
The leadership challenge is not to make everyone think alike.
It is to create an environment in which those differences can coexist while people remain focused on the organisation's purpose.
Debswana's experience suggests that strong employee relations are built through dialogue, fair processes, respect for workers' rights and deliberate investment in inclusion.
For Botswana's public service, where leaders manage one of the country's largest and most diverse workforces, the lesson is particularly relevant.
The workplace of the future will not be built by people who all think the same. Its strength may increasingly depend on leaders who know how to unlock the potential of people who think differently.
𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐆𝐨 𝐒𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 – 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐂𝐏𝐎, 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐥𝐡𝐨𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨 𝐌𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤
Debswana Diamond Company Chief People Officer, Matlhogonolo Mponang, has called for a fundamental rethink of leadership, succession planning and talent management, arguing that organisations must deliberately create space for emerging leaders while recognising that not every technically excellent employee should be promoted into management.
Speaking at the Public Service Leadership Conference, Mponang challenged leaders to confront difficult questions around succession, organisational structures, generational change and the future of work.
One of her strongest messages was simple: others should go so that others can grow.
She stressed that this should not be interpreted as a call for older employees to be pushed out of organisations. Rather, institutions must accept that leadership renewal is necessary if younger professionals who are developing, learning and demonstrating capability are to receive meaningful opportunities.
“We are not saying old people should leave,” was the thrust of her message. “We are saying those who are young, growing and evolving should be given opportunities.”
𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞
Mponang welcomed the emergence of new faces in leadership structures and boards, arguing that Botswana needs to broaden the pool from which it identifies leaders.
Institutions cannot continually recycle the same individuals, families and networks while simultaneously speaking about transformation, inclusion and succession.
She also questioned the practice of leaving people in acting positions for prolonged periods. Where a position exists and an employee has been acting in it, organisations should assess the individual, make a decision and appoint capable people rather than allowing uncertainty to continue indefinitely.
This, she suggested, is where effective succession planning becomes critical.
Organisations should know who their future leaders are, actively develop them and create pathways through which capable employees can ascend into positions of greater responsibility.
But progression should not always mean moving upwards.
𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫
Mponang cautioned against one of the most common mistakes in organisations: assuming that a technically brilliant employee will automatically become a brilliant leader.
A strong engineer does not necessarily make a strong engineering manager. A brilliant accountant does not automatically become an inspirational finance leader. The same applies to doctors, ICT professionals, economists, scientists and other specialists.
Technical professionals should therefore have opportunities to grow horizontally,becoming more senior and better rewarded within their specialist fields without being forced into management simply to advance their careers.
Leadership requires a different set of capabilities.
It requires the ability to inspire people, communicate direction, build trust, manage complexity and bring different personalities together around a common purpose.
Organisations should therefore stop treating management positions as the only reward for technical excellence.
𝐈𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐚'𝐬 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝?
Mponang also challenged the widely repeated assertion that Botswana's public service is simply too large.
She argued that the debate requires greater context, particularly when Botswana is compared with other regions of the world where public-sector employment can represent a larger proportion of the population.
For her, the more important question is whether Botswana has developed a private sector large enough to absorb more workers and become a stronger engine of employment.
The perception of an oversized public service may therefore partly reflect the relatively limited size of the private sector rather than simply excessive government employment.
However, Mponang acknowledged concerns around efficiency and productivity.
The issue should not only be about the number of people employed. Government must continuously ask whether its structures are appropriate, whether employees are deployed where they create the greatest value and whether institutions are obtaining the best possible outcomes from available human resources.
In that respect, she acknowledged the validity of concerns raised by institutions such as the World Bank around efficiency.
The real conversation, therefore, should move from simply asking, “Do we have too many people?” to asking, “Are we using the people we have effectively?”
𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Mponang further challenged public-sector leaders to understand the changing demographics of the workforce.
Today's workplace increasingly brings together several generations, each shaped by different experiences, expectations and attitudes towards work.
Leaders cannot assume that the leadership approaches that worked 20 years ago will automatically work today.
Younger employees, in particular, are increasingly focused on outputs rather than presenteeism. They are more likely to question why something must be done in a particular way instead of simply accepting instructions because “that is how it has always been done.”
And that questioning should not automatically be interpreted as disrespect.
When a young employee asks “why?”, leaders should be willing to consider whether the answer serves the greater good of the organisation and the people it exists to serve.
The future workplace will therefore require leaders who can explain purpose, encourage curiosity and measure performance by results rather than simply by how long someone remains behind a desk.
𝐀𝐈 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦
Mponang also addressed fears surrounding artificial intelligence and automation.
She challenged the simplistic narrative that AI will simply arrive and take people's jobs.
Technology will undoubtedly change jobs, automate tasks and reshape the workplace, but human beings retain something fundamental: the ability to understand and solve human problems in a deeply human way.
Routine processes can increasingly be outsourced to machines and digital systems. But empathy, judgement, inspiration, ethical leadership, relationships and the ability to understand complex human realities remain central to successful institutions.
The challenge is therefore not to compete against AI, but to complement AI.
Public servants must become comfortable operating in the digital space, understanding new technologies and using them to improve productivity and service delivery.
The leaders who succeed will not necessarily be those who know more than technology. They will be those who understand how to combine technology with human capability.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞
Mponang's message ultimately placed leadership at the centre of public-service transformation.
Botswana must optimise its organisational structures, strengthen succession planning, create genuine pathways for emerging talent, recognise technical specialists without forcing them into management and build leadership systems capable of managing a multigenerational workforce.
Transformation also requires institutions to know when leadership renewal is necessary.
Others should be allowed to grow. Others should be allowed to ascend. And sometimes, creating those opportunities requires those who have occupied positions for a long time to make room for the next generation.
But renewal must never be about age alone.
It must be about capability, performance, potential and ensuring that Botswana continuously puts the right people in the right positions at the right time.
As technology transforms the workplace and citizens demand better services, the challenge for the public service is no longer simply to employ people.
It is to deploy people effectively, develop them deliberately, lead them differently and use technology intelligently to deliver better outcomes for Batswana.
𝐈𝐅 𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐙𝐄𝐍𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐈𝐓, 𝐈𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 — 𝐀𝐁𝐒𝐀 𝐌𝐃 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐒 𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒
GABORONE: Absa Bank Botswana Managing Director Keabetswe Pheko-Moshagane delivered a compelling challenge to Botswana’s public service leadership this week: transformation should not be measured by how much institutions change internally, but by how much citizens’ lives improve.
Speaking at the Public Service Leadership Conference 2026, Pheko-Moshagane argued that governments can introduce new strategies, restructure departments, deploy technology, redesign processes and launch ambitious transformation programmes — but none of these interventions amount to meaningful transformation if the ordinary citizen experiences no difference.
Her message was simple: if citizens cannot feel it, it is not transformation.
For Pheko-Moshagane, the ultimate test of public sector transformation is therefore not what happens inside government offices. It is what happens when a citizen walks through the door.
Can a young entrepreneur register a business faster? Can an investor obtain approvals without being moved endlessly between departments? Can a pensioner access a government service without spending an entire day in a queue? Can a farmer receive the support they need on time? Can a young graduate find opportunities created by a growing economy?
Those are the places where transformation becomes real.
Her argument challenges the tendency of organisations to confuse activity with impact. A department can digitise a service, but if citizens still have to physically visit an office to complete the process, the technology has achieved little. An institution can restructure, but if decisions remain slow, accountability weak and customer service poor, citizens experience the same organisation under a different structure.
Government can produce excellent strategies and policies, but their value is ultimately determined by ex*****on.
This is particularly important as Botswana places greater emphasis on delivery and economic transformation. Public servants occupy positions that directly influence whether businesses grow, investments materialise and citizens participate meaningfully in the economy.
An approval sitting unnecessarily on someone's desk is therefore not merely an administrative delay. It can mean a business that cannot start operating, jobs that cannot be created and investment that remains frozen.
Similarly, poor customer service in a government office is not a small operational issue. It shapes how citizens experience the State and ultimately influences public confidence in government institutions.
Pheko-Moshagane's message therefore placed the citizen at the centre of transformation.
The private sector, she suggested, has learnt that transformation must eventually be reflected in the customer experience. Banks have undergone enormous changes in technology, operating models and service channels, but customers ultimately judge those investments through simple questions: Is banking easier? Is it faster? Can I access services when I need them?
Government transformation should face the same test.
A successful public service should increasingly be measured not only by programmes launched, policies developed or budgets spent, but by outcomes delivered.
How long does it take to receive a licence? How quickly are applications processed? How many unnecessary steps have been removed? How many services can citizens complete from beginning to end digitally? How quickly are complaints resolved? And, most importantly, are citizens experiencing government as an enabler rather than an obstacle?
That is the deeper meaning behind the statement: “If citizens cannot feel it, it is not transformation."
Transformation is not a presentation. It is not a new organisational chart. It is not another strategy document.
Transformation is when the entrepreneur gets the licence faster. It is when the investor receives a decision. It is when the pensioner receives dignified service. It is when technology removes a queue rather than simply computerising bureaucracy.
And ultimately, it is when Batswana can look at their public institutions and genuinely say:
Things are working better.
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