Keolatetse Molly Segwape, the founder and CEO of LIT Springs (Pty) LTD is a 32-year-old entrepreneur from the small rural village of Sekoma, nestled in Botswana's Mabutsane District. Molly has always been deeply connected to the spirit of entrepreneurship, a passion she inherited from her family. Growing up in a business-oriented household, her family survived through small enterprises and subsistence farming. These early experiences ignited her dream of building something bigger, something that could not only sustain her family but also uplift her community.In 2023, Keolatetse made her first significant leap into entrepreneurship by applying for funding under the Youth Development Fund programme in Botswana. Her proposal to venture into the male-dominated agricultural sector of cattle production was approved, and she received funding of P99,724.00 (about USD 7,000). With this support, she purchased 14 cows and a bull, laying the foundation for her cattle production business.Before enrolling in the EntreprenHER programme in May 2024, Keolatetse’s business operations lacked structure. She faced challenges in record-keeping, financial management, and strategic planning, which made it difficult to track her business’s financial health. She was passionate about cattle farming but needed guidance on how to scale her business effectively.Enrolling in the EntreprenHER programme was a turning point for Keolatetse. She joined the first cohort of women in the Mabutsane District for the Improve Your Business (IYB) training package. Leaving her family behind for a week, she fully immersed herself in the training, which proved to be a transformative experience. Her enthusiasm, curiosity, and willingness to share knowledge with other participants stood out.One of Keolatetse strengths during the training was her understanding of business processes such as registration, planning, and tendering. She actively shared insights with her peers, earning admiration and respect. At the end of the training, each participant developed an action plan, and Keolatetse committed to improving her record-keeping and costing practices. She also committed to diversifying her business beyond cattle production, and enhancing her cattle breeds by building a vaccination area to improve the health and productivity of her livestock.Five months after the training Keolatetse had already started implementing her action plan. She purchased record-keeping books and trained her employee to maintain proper records, a practice she had overlooked before. However, she faced challenges in fully implementing her action plan.In 2024 Botswana was in the grip of a severe drought, and Keolatetse tragically lost two cows despite her best efforts to feed them. The drought also delayed her plans to build the vaccination area, as most of her resources were redirected toward sustaining her remaining livestock.While grappling with the drought's impact on her cattle production, Keolatetse identified a critical gap in her community—farmers in Sekoma and nearby villages struggled to access animal feeds and farm supplies, which were only available far from their area. Seizing the opportunity, Keolatetse sought financial assistance from her family and took on casual jobs to raise funds for a new venture.In October 2024 Keolatetse opened Agric Shop, an agriculture supplies shop, in her village. Renting a small space, she began selling animal feeds, seeds, veterinary medicine, small farm tools, and equipment. The shop quickly became a lifeline for local farmers, reducing their operational costs and saving them time.Keolatetse’s Agric Shop has since grown steadily. She employed a young female assistant and secured tenders to supply seeds to the government’s crop production department for the ploughing season. Her diversification into the agric-supply business not only provided additional income but also ensured she could reinvest profits into her cattle production project. Her vision now includes improving breeding stock and expanding her services, further strengthening her business portfolio.Reflecting on her journey, Keolatetse credits the EntreprenHER Programme for fuelling her entrepreneurial spirit and providing her with essential skills. She believes that the training helped her adapt and thrive, even during the drought crisis. "If I had not attended the programme, I might have lost all my cattle and given up," she said.Beyond financial success, Keolatetse is committed to giving back to her community. She advocates for programmes like EntreprenHER to include seed capital to further motivate women entrepreneurs, as access to finance remains a significant challenge. Looking ahead, she envisions scaling her business further, creating more employment opportunities, and continuing to inspire other women in Sekoma and beyond. Her journey is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the transformative power of entrepreneurship.
 

The National Planning Commission (NPC) of Botswana, has successfully concluded a pioneering capacity-building workshop on the “Every Policy is Connected” (EPiC) Framework. The workshop convened over 40 senior officials and technical experts from key institutions, including the National Planning Commission, Statistics Botswana, the Ministry of Finance, and multiple sectoral ministries in Gaborone from 26 to 29 January 2026. Through interactive presentations, policy-data dialogue simulations, and hands-on group exercises, participants directly applied the EPiC framework to the priorities of NDP 12, which is set to be the principal vehicle for delivering the country’s Vision 2036 and the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP).In his remarks at the opening of the workshop, Mr. Kabelo A. Ebineng, Commissioner General of the National Planning Commission, highlighted the critical timing of the intervention. He reflected, “One of the key challenges we continue to face is ensuring that policies across sectors are aligned and mutually reinforcing. The EPiC tool directly responds to this challenge.” He reaffirmed NPC’s commitment to institutionalizing the approaches introduced for sustained impact beyond the workshop.In her address, Ms. Wenyan Yang, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Botswana, underscored the workshop’s significance and called for a robust results framework and a modern approach to monitoring development progress. “We must measure what we want to improve – what’s not measured is invisible, thus will not be improved,” She also congratulated Botswana as the pioneering African country to roll out the EPiC tool, a move set to inspire regional peers.Speaking on behalf of Ms. Eunice Kamwendo, Director of ECA’s Southern Africa Office, Ms. Zodwa Florence Mabuza also emphasized EPiC’s role in promoting policy coherence and evidence-based, inclusive development, and reaffirmed ECA’s continued support for Botswana’s development agenda.The training responded to the Government of Botswana’s request for support in finalizing a coherent, evidence-based results and indicator framework for NDP 12. The EPiC framework, developed and implemented in Asia and the Pacific region by ESCAP, is designed to break down policy silos in the development of comprehensive indicator frameworks to track development plans. It systematically analyses interlinkages across four dimensions: Economic Prosperity, Social Inclusion, Environmental Sustainability, and Institutional Resilience, ensuring cross-cutting priorities like gender equality and climate action are embedded from the outset.The training marks the inaugural use of the EPiC framework in Africa with experts from ESCAP providing core technical guidance and support for the sessions, bringing their extensive practical experience from the region into the African context. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights further enriched the training by emphasizing the importance, value, and practical application of a human rights-based approach to development, with particular focus on mainstreaming the principle of leaving no one behind - a core element of NDP 12.The workshop was organized by the Development Planning Section of the Macroeconomics, Finance and Governance Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in partnership with The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).  ECA remains committed to supporting Botswana and other African member States in developing coherent, evidence-based, and future-ready national development plans that effectively translate aspirations into tangible improvements in the lives of their citizens.

As the founder of Knacks Creations, a proudly woman-owned branding business, Keotshepile specialises in large-format printing, producing branded gazebos, vinyl window decals, sublimated t-shirts, banners, and other high-impact promotional materials. Keotshepile’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2018, shortly after graduating with a qualification in Web Design and Graphic Design. She initially worked for a local business, but her ambition pushed her to step out on her own. 

“I started working at an internet café, doing printing and photocopying for the community. But last year, I felt it was time to grow. We expanded into large format printing, and that changed everything,” she explains. Stepping into a male-dominated market came with real challenges. Existing businesses were well-established, and customers were sceptical of a young woman’s capability. “Most people preferred to get services from men or even from outside Selebi-Phikwe. It was difficult to penetrate the market. We had to fight for every opportunity,” she recalls. Despite these barriers, Keotshepile pushed forward. 
After being referred to the EntreprenHER Programme, a partnership between UN Women and the De Beers Group in South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, she gained tools that accelerated her business growth. The training reshaped how she approached marketing, costing, and financial management.

“I used to think people would just know about my business. But during the training, they taught us that marketing is active. After the training, I went out, company to company, teaching them about our services. That’s when things changed.” And the results speak for themselves. Over the past year, Knacks Creations secured major branding jobs, including work for the Orange Marathon through the Selebi-Phikwe Town Council, NAPRO for the Selebi-Phikwe Extravaganza, and the Zanna Charity Marathon. Her turnover jumped from BWP 80,000 in 2024 to approximately BWP 250,000 in 2025, a remarkable leap that reflects both the growing demand for her products and the effectiveness of her business strategies. What began as a small operation has now evolved into a thriving enterprise, employing five full-time staff members and contributing meaningfully to local job creation. This growth has strengthened her confidence as a business owner and positioned her company as a competitive player in the market. Beyond the technical skills, the programme gave her something she deeply needed: confidence. “I never believed I could walk into certain spaces. The training taught me to stand firm, believe in my business, and go after opportunities, even in places dominated by men,” she says.Her dream is bold: to make Knacks Creations the number one printing and branding company in the entire Selebi Phikwe District and beyond. And with her persistence and resilience, she is well on her way. When asked what women entrepreneurs need most, Keotshepile doesn’t hesitate, “Determination, persistence, and resilience,” she says, qualities she has relied on while navigating limited capital, rising production costs, and the ongoing need to build customer trust.She explains that many women face structural barriers, but having the courage to show up consistently, push through setbacks, and believe in their vision ultimately drives growth. “Without resilience, you won’t survive in business,” she says. In a sector where she has repeatedly had to prove her expertise more than her male counterparts, Keotshepile continues to rise, proving that talent, courage, and unwavering belief can transform a small printing shop into a regional branding powerhouse.The EntreprenHER programme, formerly called Accelerating Women Owned MicroEnterprises (AWOME) is a training programme coordinated by UN Women South Africa Multi-Country Office and supported by the DeBeers Group in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. It aims to equip women entrepreneurs with the necessary skills to formalize and run successful businesses. In Botswana it is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs.

The Joint Steering Committee Meeting (JSC) for the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework co-organised by the Government of Botswana and the UN took place on 20 November, with an emphasis on Joint Approaches and Partnerships to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The JSC guides the strategic implementation of the Cooperation Framework 2022 - 2026 and comprises senior representatives from both the Government and UN. It provides strategic direction, alignment with national priorities and effective coordination to address the country’s development needs, with particular attention to vulnerable and marginalized groups. With less than five years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda and SDGs, the Cooperation Framework sets out the collective response of the UN agencies in partnership with government and national stakeholders to accelerate gender equality, natural resource management, climate change resilience, and sustainable economic growth.The JSC was co-chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of International Relations, Ambassador Thuso Ramodimoosi and the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Wenyan Yang. The JSC discussed UNSDCF joint workplans, identify challenges, and agree on priorities for the next implementation phase.“The UNSDCF is not just a cooperation framework—it is our shared responsibility to deliver real, measurable progress for the people of Botswana. The success of the CF in Botswana will demonstrate how effective coordination and shared accountability can translate global commitments into tangible national impact. This is not just a technical exercise – it is about ensuring that our collective efforts translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives”, said UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Yang.During the opening session, among others, Ambassador Ramodimoosi, expressed appreciation for the support the UN renders to Botswana and her development endeavours. He also underscored that the Cooperation Framework is a true reflection of multilateralism in action, and that it serves as a resourceful tool that can effectively support Botswana’s Economic and Transformation Programme.The meeting is a testimony to the ongoing fruitful partnership between the Government of Botswana and the UN, underlining their shared commitment to building a sustainable and inclusive future for all.