15 Jun 2026

 The Ministry of Sport and Arts has launched strategic interventions to rebuild the nation’s athletic pipeline following a prolonged suspension of school sports that severely hindered youth talent identification.
Appearing before Standing Committee on Government Assurances recently, the ministry permanent secretary, Nancy Chengeta acknowledged the heavy toll that the competitive drought had taken on young prospects, noting that crucial athletic talent had been lost along the way.
“If children are given the opportunity to play, those with natural abilities will seamlessly progress through all development stages and ultimately benefit the country. I am happy to see media reports indicating that the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education is now resolving this matter,” Chengeta said.
She explained that the ministry served primarily as an enabler, providing technical support to the education ministry through equipment provisioning and coach training.
For her part, deputy permanent secretary, Boineelo Hardy echoed the same sentiments and emphasised that school sports were foundational to athletic development.
Hardy also indicated that there was a substantial structural shift in funding to streamline operations.
“The budget previously allocated to our ministry for school sport has been transferred to the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education so they can directly drive the programme,” she explained.
She also told the committee that ministry officials had been visiting several schools of excellence where high-potential athletes were admitted.
“The ministry is currently evaluating this programme to better capture raw talent at an earlier age,” she said.
Again, she said the ministry had tasked the Botswana National Sport Commission with developing a comprehensive and sustainable sports programme to be rolled out nationwide.
The committee chairperson, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang raised concerns over the decline of local football, noting that the country’s most popular sport was currently underperforming compared to codes like tennis and athletics.
Dr Gobotswang also asked whether the ministry had plans to bid for and host a major international tournament, such as the World Cup, suggesting that it could serve as a powerful catalyst for local players and stakeholders.
In response, Chengeta agreed that hosting major continental or international events remained a core pillar of the ministry’s long-term strategy.
However, she emphasised that such ambitious plans hinged entirely on upgrading the nation’s sporting infrastructure.
To that end, Chengeta announced that the National Development Plan 12 had made provisions to construct a new 40 000-seater stadium to provide the foundational infrastructure required to bring premier global sport events to Botswana.ENDS