Botswana outpaces Africa on women in leadership roles
Pauline Dikuelo | Wednesday March 25, 2026 06:16
The latest Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) on Women in Business 2026 released last week shows strong representation of females in senior roles, while also signalling the need for greater visibility and intentional leadership development. According to the survey results, women hold 35.8% of senior management positions in Botswana, outperforming both the African and global averages of 34.4% and 32.9% respectively. Grant Thornton Botswana Associate Director, Sakshi Shukla, said many organisations genuinely intend to advance gender equality, although that desire alone is not enough.
“Real progress comes from the policies we design, the actions we take, and the culture we reinforce every day,” she said when commenting on the findings. “If we want to see more women progress into strategic leadership roles, then mentorship, progression pathways, and leadership visibility must be embedded in how we develop women leaders.” It has, however, been found that while Botswana performs better than the African average, comparison with global peers highlights a continued opportunity to accelerate progress and reduce all-male leadership teams. Progress is not linear and requires sustained focus to protect and build on existing gains, observers noted. In Botswana and globally, women are well represented in functional senior leadership roles such as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Representation remains low, however, in the Information Technology space. Encouragingly, the country’s regulatory environment is beginning to support progression in this area. The introduction of the Data Protection Act has elevated data governance, cybersecurity, and compliance to board- and executive-level priorities, creating new leadership pathways for women to step into roles such as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The report further reveals that Botswana’s representation of women in Chief Executive Officer (CEO) roles is higher than both the African and global averages, highlighting investment in ensuring that women who progress into senior functional roles are also supported to advance into strategic and executive decision-making positions.
Bank Gaborone CEO Olebile Makhupe, said the stronger representation of women in CEO and executive leadership roles reflects progress in how organisations develop and trust talent. “From a policy perspective, this matters because diverse leadership strengthens governance, supports better decision-making, and enhances long-term competitiveness,” she said. “Sustaining this progress requires intentional investment in leadership pipelines that prepare women to step into the most senior roles,” added Makhupe, one of the female CEOs locally. The survey further reveals that in Botswana, 64% of mid-market leaders say they consider a company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives when applying for a role. While this places Botswana below both African and global benchmarks, the country’s strong representation of women in senior management suggests that progress has been achieved structurally but that intentional prioritisation and visibility of gender equality can still be strengthened. The Grant Thornton’s research also shows that 23% of mid-market businesses report that potential hires have asked about the gender balance of senior leadership teams or evidence of a commitment to improving gender diversity during recruitment, representing a 14.3% year-on-year increase. Botswana’s data points towards an emerging shift from intent to action. While 52% of businesses had no DE&I initiatives in place, the majority are planning to implement such initiatives in the next 12 months.
Furthermore, 28% of Botswana’s mid-market businesses reported having reviewed their DE&I initiatives, with most citing the changing global conversation around DE&I as a key driver signalling growing recognition that inclusion is a strategic consideration linked to competitiveness, leadership capability, and long-term sustainability. This shift is also reflected in how development partners view the role of inclusive leadership in building resilient institutions and sustainable economies. Resident Representative of UNDP in Botswana, Lovita Ramguttee, said women’s leadership is fundamental to building resilient societies and inclusive economies.
“When women are able to advance into decision-making roles and lead in environments grounded in dignity, safety, and opportunity, the benefits extend far beyond individual organisations. “They strengthen institutions, expand economic opportunity, and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals particularly those on gender equality, decent work, and inclusive governance,” she added. Despite all the positive strides companies are making in advancing women to seniority positions, the research found out that however 12% of Botswana businesses still operate without women in senior management, compared to 15.5% across Africa and 5.7 percent globally.