08 Jul 2025

Creation Botswana, a fashion and creative industries programme, has set P100 000 monetary prizes to the two most outstanding fashion entrepreneurs during the initative’s finale.

Launched in September 2024, the programme is financed by the Embassy of France in Botswana and implemented by Alliance Francaise of Gaborone and National Arts Council of Botswana (NACB) with support from creative hub La Halle in France. The initiative is set to support the structuring of Botswana’s fashion industry with a holistic approach that combines mentoring, training, mobility, financing and networking.

The programme supported 28 fashion designers selected through a national call for applications and divided into two cohorts; with the first cohort comprising 20 emerging designers while the second brought together eight more seasoned professionals. Depending on the cohort in which they were in, participants each received a grant of either P15 000 or P50 000 to support the development of their individual brands.

Director of Alliance Francaise of Gaborone, Bokani Machinya said during a press conference to unveil a series of events for the Creation Botswana finale, that through such initiatives her organisation has become a true cultural hub for Gaborone where talents are nurtured, connections happen and ideas turn into real opportunities.

“With Creation Botswana initiative, we are embracing a new mission to support more local talent and continue making real impact on the lives of Batswana especially in the creative industries,” she said. 

Machinya further said through the project they had seen designers grow, exchange ideas and most importantly, bring their dreams to life.  She said over the months, designers explored business strategies and entrepreneurship fundamentals, learning how to build strong business models and conduct market analysis. Machinya said designers have had an opportunity to travel to South Africa for a study tour where they met industry leaders and collaborated with renowned designer Lukhanyo Mdingi. 

“And the focus has also shifted to brand development and collection design, helping each designer refine their identity and align their work with market expectations,” she said.

Meanwhile, NACB director of Creative and Cultural Sector Development Obenne Mbaakanyi said the Creation Botswana initiative has come in handy as the NACB is in its formative stages of operation. She said the programme had shown the power of collaboration and partnership when entities came together for a good cause, also beneficial to the country’s economy.  Mbaakanyi encouraged creatives in the two cohorts to develop and practice the spirit of setting up partnerships as well as to be an inspiration of the next generation.

“Because it is developing, Botswana’s creative industry has a cancer of working in silos, yet it is the partnerships for a common good that can bring about the transformative energy that the sector needs for it to flourish,” Mbaakanyi said.

She said transformation within the sector will be realised if the creatives commit to transformative partnerships. Emphasising the need for collaboration, Mbaakanyi said if creatives could work in solidarity and spoke with one voice, shared the same conviction and drew   their inspiration from Botswana’s untapped resources, the industry would evolve in untold ways and realise its true potential.

Absa Bank Botswana and Lucara Botswana will each award P50 000 prize to the two most outstanding entrepreneurs, recognising excellence in creativity, entrepreneurship and sustainability. The third awardee will receive P20 000. ENDS