25 May 2026

Embrace innovation, strategic foresight and institutional adaptability as the country confronts increasingly complex security threats amid tightening fiscal conditions,  President Advocate Duma told Botswana Defence Force (BDF) leadership.

Officially opening the 21^st BDF Strategic Conference in Gaborone on May 25, President Boko, who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, said the conference theme: Maintaining a Capable and Cost-Effective Defence Force Under Fiscal Constraints, reflected the realities of a rapidly evolving global security environment characterised by cyber threats, technological disruption and transnational organised crime.

He said modern security challenges required institutions to continuously adapt while remaining responsive to national priorities.

President Boko said effective leadership demanded the ability to identify obstacles to progress and mobilise ideas and action towards achieving national objectives.

Throughout his address, the President stressed that the welfare of citizens must remain the central guiding principle of governance and national security.

“The welfare of the people is the supreme law,” he said, adding that all laws, systems and institutions should ultimately serve the public good. It is ultimately about this profound principle that all these must converge on one thing and one thing only, the welfare of the people,” he said.

President Boko commended the BDF for maintaining professionalism and discipline over the years, including during peacekeeping deployments in Somalia under international stabilisation efforts.

However, he warned that Botswana was increasingly exposed to sophisticated security threats, including cybercrime, terrorism and cross-border organised crime.

“We have begun to experience an influx of armed individuals bringing weapons into the country to commit crimes,” he said.

He said government was therefore prioritising the development of a comprehensive national security strategy aimed at strengthening coordination, resilience and strategic foresight across state institutions.

President Boko also cautioned military leaders against corruption and abuse of authority, describing corruption as ‘a real and present danger to national security.’

“Command must never become an instrument of fear, intimidation or personal privilege,” he said, adding that leadership was a sacred trust requiring integrity and accountability.

He urged commanders to uphold ‘discipline without abuse, authority without arrogance, accountability without compromise and professionalism without exception.’

The President further acknowledged the emotional and personal challenges often faced by members of the armed forces, including relationship difficulties and betrayal, encouraging resilience and mutual support within the institution.

“We cannot control whether these things happen to us; what we can control is how we react to them,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Boko praised the military for its professionalism and discipline during the recent state funeral of former president Festus Mogae.

Describing the occasion as a moment of piety,’ he said the BDF had demonstrated exceptional fortitude and discipline.

“The BDF worked diligently with such fortitude and discipline that you earned us the admiration not only of our own people, but also of those who attended the funeral — indeed, the admiration of the whole world,” he said.

The conference is expected to focus on strategic planning, operational efficiency and military modernisation as the BDF seeks to maintain operational readiness under constrained fiscal conditions and shifting regional security dynamics. ENDS