Youth, women positioned for energy sector opportunities
staff writer | Friday June 5, 2026 09:46
The programme is a partnership between Seth Resources Petroleum, BA ISAGO University, eMangweni Business Solutions, Botswana Oil Limited and the Presidential Youth Empowerment Campaign (PYEC), and it seeks to equip youth, women and citizen-owned enterprises with practical knowledge, technical skills and business opportunities across the oil and gas value chain. Officially launching the programme, Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs Lesego Chombo described the initiative as more than a training programme, calling it a national mission to position Batswana at the centre of future economic opportunities.
“This landmark project is more than an economic initiative. It is a national mission and a covenant between the state and citizens. Its purpose is to capacitate our people to take ownership of emerging industries, create jobs, drive innovation and ensure that the wealth of our nation is not reserved for a privileged few, but becomes the inheritance of all,” Chombo said. She noted that while Botswana’s development story had been built on diamonds over the past six decades, the country could not rely on the same economic model for the next 60 years. “The economy that carried us over the past 60 years cannot be the economy that carries us into the next 60,” she said. Chombo said government’s vision was to build a diversified, export-driven and people-centred economy in which every citizen is empowered to participate meaningfully in national development. She further stressed that youth development could not be separated from economic development and argued that the challenge facing many young people was not necessarily the absence of opportunities but rather their exclusion from existing ones. “The issue is not only the absence of opportunity. It is exclusion from existing opportunity,” she said.
The minister further highlighted reforms aimed at improving youth participation in the economy, including the National Youth Policy, the upcoming Youth Development Act and an increase in procurement opportunities for youth-owned enterprises from 20 percent to 40 percent. She also placed strong emphasis on the inclusion of women, noting that young women make up the majority of unemployed youth in Botswana. BYWC private sector lead, Seth Resources Petroleum chief executive officer Brian Mmusi, said the initiative represented a major step in Botswana’s economic transformation journey. “Today marks more than the launch of an initiative. It marks the beginning of a new chapter in Botswana’s economic transformation journey that places youth, women and citizen-owned enterprises at the centre of opportunity within the oil and gas industry,” Mmusi said. He explained that the energy sector extends far beyond fuel supply and infrastructure. “The oil and gas industry is about logistics, engineering, technology, environmental management, manufacturing, transportation, finance, retail, innovation and entrepreneurship. It is an ecosystem with the potential to create meaningful participation opportunities for Batswana.” Mmusi said Seth Resources Petroleum is currently pursuing plans to develop an energy hub, large-scale petroleum storage facilities and Botswana’s first oil refinery, projects expected to create future opportunities throughout the energy value chain.
For Botswana Oil Limited, the programme is expected to support greater citizen participation within the energy industry. Speaking during the launch, Botswana Oil General Manager for Strategy and Planning Leungo Letshwiti said youth represent Botswana’s future workforce and must be intentionally positioned to participate in strategic industries. “It is important that we see more young people and women participating in this sector because they represent the energy, innovation and future workforce of this country,” she said. Letshwiti urged participants to look beyond traditional oil and gas activities and identify opportunities in supporting sectors such as logistics, technology, engineering, environmental management, health and safety, transport and professional services. “We do not want citizens simply registering companies and obtaining licenses. We want them to understand the industry, identify opportunities and become competitive businesses that can participate meaningfully in the energy sector,” she said. She further challenged participants to become future suppliers and service providers within the industry, expressing hope that Botswana Oil would in future spend significantly more on youth and women-owned enterprises. BYWC lead training partner and eMangweni Business Solutions founder, Baxolile Zwane, encouraged participants to approach the training with curiosity and determination. Drawing from her more than two decades of experience in the oil and gas sector, Zwane said she entered an industry that was traditionally male-dominated and used knowledge and continuous learning to build a successful career.
“It was not easy, but what helped me was having the courage to step into the industry and the willingness to learn,” she said. Zwane challenged participants to take ownership of their learning and seek mentorship opportunities after completing the programme. “Knowledge is not power. The ability to act on the knowledge that you have gained is power,” she said. She urged participants to network, ask questions and remain visible to potential mentors and industry leaders. Meanwhile, Presidential Youth Empowerment campaign national coordinator Maipelo Sealetsa described the programme as a direct response to youth unemployment and a key component of government’s strategy to connect young people with emerging economic opportunities. Sealetsa said the programme aligns with PYEC’s demand-led skills development pillar and forms part of broader efforts to create employment opportunities through priority sectors such as energy, mining, transport and logistics.
She noted that all 61 constituencies were represented at the launch, reflecting government’s commitment to ensuring opportunities reach every part of the country. For his part, BA ISAGO University founder and managing director Odirile Gabasiane said the institution was proud to host a programme that directly connects education with industry opportunities. “Today is about opportunity. It is about possibility. It is about what becomes possible when visionary leadership, entrepreneurship, education and national development come together around a shared purpose,” Gabasiane said.
The 10-day programme will expose participants to upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas operations, petroleum logistics, fuel retail, LPG operations, safety management, regulatory compliance, entrepreneurship, and opportunities for citizen participation. Organisers aim to train 1,000 participants nationwide and believe the programme could become a catalyst for creating a new generation of entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners within Botswana’s growing energy economy.