09 Dec 2025

Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Botswana, Ms Lovita Ramguttee has hailed Botswana’s efforts towards inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Speaking at a recent UN International Day for Persons with Disabilities commemoration held in Jwaneng, Ms Ramguttee said developing several frameworks such as the Persons with Disability Act,

Revised National Policy on Disability and Recruitment Policy, among others, were testament to the country’s commitment to promoting human rights and enhancing sustainable development.

“These achievements for us reflect Botswana’s unwavering commitment to building a society where no one is left behind. The United Nations here in Botswana has been very happy and supports the government on this journey, whether it is in relation to legal framework, all the way to training parliamentarians on the issue of the Convention on Persons with Disabilities and capacity building,” she said.

Nonetheless, she acknowledged that public awareness, data collection, employment opportunities, stigma and inaccessible infrastructure were some of the areas with gaps that hindered the overall goals of inclusion and full participation of persons with disabilities. She underscored the need for stakeholders to collaborate efforts to address these challenges.

“Addressing these challenges will require collaboration, innovation and sustained investments through the whole of government and the whole of society. Today let us reaffirm our commitment to the principle of Leaving No One Behind, which is a core principle of the achievement of the Sustainable

Development Goals, which is central in human rights centric administration,” she noted.

She implored institutions to align their policies, programmes and financial planning initiatives with the  inclusion concept in order to enhance equality and dignity for persons with disabilities. She also reassured the UN’s support towards operationalisation of the Persons with Disability Act of 2024, which was declared officially commenced during the event.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for State President, Ms Goitsemang Morekisi said government was committed to advancing disability inclusion as a national priority as evidenced by the creation of a clear blue print for all stakeholders.

Ms Morekisi said government had invested in various frameworks over the years, with the objective of enhancing the lives of persons with disabilities.

She applauded Debswana for taking the lead in implementing the Affirmative Action, which she said should also be effectively implemented in government structures.

She also said there was need to involve persons with disabilities in decision making processes to inform the policies and programmes.

She urged all stakeholders to collaborate their efforts in implementing the frameworks to advance the rights of persons with disabilities and create a fully inclusive society.

“I urge all of you to join hands and play a role in ensuring that all the frameworks I talked about are actually implemented,” she said.

Debswana Chief People Officer, Ms Matlhogonolo Mponang noted that through their robust Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, the company had increased the number of differently-abled employees from 18 in 2020 to the current 113 deployed in various roles of their operations. She said the strategy also emphasised the concept of belonging by all employees, irrespective of their differences.

She noted that such inclusion and belonging was also reflected in their investment initiatives aimed at accommodating all employees.

“It is also important to note that we have actively spent capital to ensure that the environment speaks to belonging.

There has been serious investment in software that enables others that need it to be able to work, we are in the process of outfitting and retrofitting braille technology, and we continue to ensure that we have access,” she said.

One of the caregivers, Ms Julia Dibeela emphasised the importance of patience and dedication as key factors to overcome the challenges that came with caring for persons with disabilities. ENDS