from ODIRILE TOTENG in Gaborone, Botswana
Botswana Bureau
GABORONE, (CAJ News) – BOTSWANA’S internet access has increased from 42 percent to 77 percent of the population over the past five years.
Since the new government came into office at the end of 2024, the administration of President Duma Boko has also distributed 52 000 laptops to teachers and students, with more scheduled for distribution to cover digital gaps.
In addition, over 900 women-owned businesses have benefited from a programme initiated to promote women entrepreneurs’ digital literacy in the landlocked Southern African country
Lesego Chombo, the Botswana Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs, disclosed the breakthroughs while addressing a United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
Africa’s youngest female minister (26), she noted that internet access had increased from 42 percent of the 2,55-million population in 2019 to 77 percent in 2024, with the accessibility provided by the SmartBots programme for low-income groups being a significant contributor.
“The government has sought to ensure that women were not excluded in digitisation efforts,” Chombo said.
She added that the government that came to power in November 2024 had undertaken a pilot project titled “EntreprenHer.”
It seeks to increase women’s capacity in business and life skills, advocate for access to funding, promote women entrepreneurs’ digital literacy and enhance technical and institutional support as well as encourage women farmers to adopt climate smart agriculture technologies.
The initiative has benefitted 922 women-owned businesses to date.
“Botswana is implementing measures to motivate and encourage participation in technical training and science, technology, engineering and mathematics education by girls and create more employment opportunities,” Chombo assured.
She said the government was addressing gaps in the implementation of legislation on cyber crime and had set as a priority innovation in technology as a means of addressing such crime.
“A memorandum of understanding has been formed with a private sector organisation to combat cyber crime, and the police have also been provided with support to fight such crime.”
According to data from the Southern African Development Community data, internet penetration in the region reached an average of 57,2 percent in 2024.
– CAJ News