15 Jun 2026

Businesses have been urged to embrace neuro inclusion as a driver of innovation and productivity. Speaking at the strategic human resource conference in Gaborone, Lyra Botswana’s managing director, Dr Onalethata Johnson said discussions often focused on gender and age, while overlooking neurodiversity.

She urged companies to recognise and support different ways of thinking and processing information, including employees with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, dyslexia and other neuro divergent conditions.

Dr Johnson said traditional recruitment processes, work place expectations, stigma, misconception, sensory issues and lack of awareness about neurodiversity could limit opportunities for talented individuals to enter and thrive in the workforce.

According to Dr Johnson one in five people in every room were likely to have neurodivergent special traits, and that 15 to 20 per cent of global population were neurodivergent. Dr Johnson said neurodiversity inclusion was not only a diversity issue but also a business imperative. She noted that organisations that actively prioritised diversity in leadership and problem solving teams were projected to be two to three times more productive than their homogeneous counterparts by 2027.

Additionally, she said neurodivergent individual possessed unique talents. Citing research, Dr Johnson said people with dyslexia often demonstrated high levels of creativity and innovation, while individuals on the autism  spectrum may excel in analytical thinking, pattern recognition, attention to detail and deep focus work.

She noted that these strengths were increasingly valuable in modern workplaces, where employers were seeking skills such as analytical thinking, creativity, leadership, technological literacy and resilience.

Dr Johnson also highlighted barriers faced by neurodivergent individuals in the labour market.

Therefore, she called for more inclusive workplaces that recognised and accommodate diverse ways of thinking, learning and problem solving. ENDS