09 Jul 2026

President Advocate Duma Boko has called on accounting officers to transform leadership and adopt bold strategies to uplift Botswana’s ailing economy.

Speaking at the Economic Committee of Cabinet meeting on July 9, President Boko stated that the current economic trials demanded transformative leadership capable of engineered turnaround strategies for the betterment of the nation.

The President noted that the country's current economic status served as a clarion call for all citizenry to be ‘hands on deck.’

He also pleaded with the country’s top brass to remain responsive and rigorous in their decision-making to successfully navigate such challenging economic times.

“This is the best time to be alive. This is the best time to serve this country. When everything seems bleak, dreary and gloomy, as decision-makers we are called upon to act. We are called upon to apply our minds. We are all professionals here of the highest eminence, trained and highly educated and the nation is looking upon us to steer the ship to safer shores,” he said.

The President indicated that many of the country’s top technocrats denied Botswana the benefit of their expertise and insight, despite possessing an awesome depth of experience and a prodigious understanding of the issues they wrestle with.

“This is the test of our worth and mettle as intellectuals, scholars, professionals and educated people in whom this country has invested. What is our worth? How do we respond to these pressing challenges that face the country and our people? This is the time to prove ourselves. And so, I call on all of us to deal with these challenges and circumstances,” he added.

President Boko further highlighted the need to find ways for government to reform itself, become more accountable and boost productivity. He emphasised that there was strict obligation to ensure that such reforms made the state more efficient and agile.

Additionally, the President cautioned State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to strive for self-sustenance and justify their continued existence.

“I have said this in relation to all State-Owned Enterprises and practically any and every other practice and institution, anyone of them that cannot justify its existence before the judgment seat of reason must and will give up that existence,” he warned.

He stated that leaders must be exceptionally bold when making decisions regarding SOEs that offered no compelling case for their survival, noting that some may need to be dismantled or transformed into a shape or form that made them more responsive to current challenges.

Turning to governance, President Boko said government was fully committed to combating all acts of corruption, cautioning that the vice could completely destroy the economy if left unchecked.

“We will not succeed in achieving our desired goals, nor will we succeed in growing our economy in any meaningful way, if we allow corruption to be part of our business culture. I therefore wish to assure everyone that government is determined to do all it takes to win this battle,” he added.

He further stated that the administration remained steadfast in finding the most potent and clinical ways to deal with corruption and ensure that it “never rears its head again in this jurisdiction.” ENDS