29 Aug 2023

In 2001, when 40 per cent of all adults in Botswana were infected with HIV, the then President of Botswana, Dr Festus Mogae took to the global stage to warn that his people were ‘threatened with extinction.’

He was the first head of state in the world to publicly test for HIV, and one of the first to chair his country’s national AIDS council. This marked the beginning of his illustrious leadership in the fight against the pandemic, and the world was watching!

Dr Mogae was duly recognised in October 2008 when he was named the winner of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.

Announcing the Ibrahim Laureate, the then United Nations Secretary General and chair of the Prize Committee, Dr Kofi Annan said ‘President Mogae’s outstanding leadership has ensured Botswana’s continued stability and prosperity in the face of an AIDS pandemic which threatened the future of his country and people.’

The then UNAIDS Executive Director, Dr Peter Piot said ‘Mr Mogae has demonstrated what leadership and perseverance can achieve in the face of extreme challenges.’ He further said the Mo Ibrahim Prize represented a pinnacle in Mr Mogae’s efforts to stop the spread of HIV, not only in Botswana but throughout Africa, and that he was a true visionary and exemplary to other leaders around the world.

Looking back at his journey, it is evident that his success in the fight against HIV and AIDS was no fluke. Dr Mogae’s leadership made a difference in Botswana’s AIDS response through a number of initiatives.
From 1998 when he took the reins from Sir Ketumile Masire until he relinquished the seat in 2008, Dr Mogae made the HIV/AIDS response one of the top priorities of his administration.

BOPA reporter Olekantse Sennamose highlights some of the achievements that helped the county to be the darling of the international community in the fight against the pandemic.

The first step Dr Mogae made was to build a comprehensive national response to HIV/AIDS. Recognising the severity of the epidemic, he made it a top priority for his government. His administration then invested heavily in HIV prevention and public education campaigns. These efforts aimed to raise awareness about safe practices and reduce the stigma associated with the disease. Dr Mogae’s stand to be vocal about reducing the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS helped encourage more people to test and seek treatment.

After ensuring that the nation was well educated on the basics of the pandemic and people were willing to come out in the open, Dr Mogae’s administration then next introduced Antiretroviral Treatment (ART), a move that was considered one of the world’s most ambitious programmes meant to provide free antiretroviral treatment to citizens living with HIV/AIDS.

This initiative significantly extended the lives of many people living with the virus as it delivered HIV treatment to more than 90 per cent of those who needed it.

Dr Mogae then ensured the extension of access to healthcare. This resulted in a notable improvement in access to healthcare services for people affected by HIV/AIDS, including testing and counseling. From then, Dr Mogae’s next strategic move was to collaborate with the international organisations and donors such as UNAIDS and PEPFAR through which he managed to secure the hard to come by funding and technical support for Botswana’s HIV/AIDS programmes.

By then funding was a difficult to access especially that many African countries were in need of such. After ensuring that all the other basic services such as awareness, testing and preventative measures were in place, Dr Mogae’s administration then established data collection and monitoring.

Robust systems for data collection and monitoring of HIV/AIDS cases was vital in that it enabled evidence-based decision-making and programme evaluation.

Perhaps one of Dr Mogae’s strengths was his demonstration of strong political will in the fight against HIV/AIDS. He used his presidency as a platform to advocate for a global response to the pandemic.

As a result of these efforts, Botswana made substantial progress in curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS and improving the lives of those affected. Dr Mogae’s leadership in this area earned him recognition and accolades on the international stage, and his approach to tackling the epidemic has served as a model for other nations facing similar challenges.

In addition to treatment, the country made impressive strides in another key initiative, the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) and caring for children orphaned by AIDS. This initiative played a significant part in ensuring that the virus did not become an inter-generational curse.

After he stepped down from the Presidency in 2008, Dr Mogae now had ample time in his hands, he used the opportunity to now take the fight beyond Botswana borders to the rest of Africa. In August 2008, hardly four months after he left the

Presidency, he launched ‘Champions for an HIV-free Generation,’ which was a group of renowned African leaders calling on their peers to step up efforts to prevent the spread of HIV.

The collaborating partners of this initiative were the World Bank, UNAIDS, the World Health Organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and PEPFAR.

The Champions, highly visible leaders from all over Africa and different walks of life, helped mobilise leadership in Africa and advocate effective policies and action on HIV prevention.

As outspoken opinion-leaders, they sought to initiate a dialogue in changing behavioral and societal norms.

Dr Mogae is enjoying his retirement, but like they usually say, a leader never truly retires. To this day, he continues to be invited to local and international events to share his wisdom on the pandemic.

Botswana’s success story on matters of HIV and AIDS will never be complete without a whole chapter on the man many fondly call “Le Festo”. ENDS