Youth, Women Top Kenewendo�s Agenda
Innocent Selatlhwa | Monday October 31, 2016 16:39
Speaking to this publication after the morning parliamentary session on Friday, the humble 29-year-old said she was excited at the opportunity to be in Parliament. “I am excited at this golden opportunity to serve people at this level. At first I was not sure if I wanted to take it up, but then I ended up deciding it was the right thing to do,” she said.
Quizzed on how long she has been into politics, Kenewendo said she has been occupied with being an economist and it is only now that she has assumed a political office. She is yet to get her Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) membership.
Even though it is understood that Boteti West legislator Slumber Tsogwane has intentions of throwing in the towel in 2019, Kenewendo said she has no plans of contesting for elections. “We already have Tsogwane in my constituency. I cannot compete with him as he is my elder and has been representing us well,” she said.
Kenewendo is an internationally trained economist, media commentator and policy analyst. She has been working as a trade economist in the ministry of trade and industry in Ghana, and was previously employed as an economic consultant at Econsult Botswana. She has led the execution of key projects and she chaired the youth sector of the President of Botswana’s High Level Consultative Council, addressing challenges faced by the private sector in Botswana.
Kenewendo is a founder of Molaya Kgosi, a project filtering from the Young African Women Leaders Forum initiated by the First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama, and led by young Batswana women who are a part of the forum.
The purpose of the program is to expose young women to experienced and successful women in this country. The program is to act as a bridge to close the gap between the generations, promoting intergenerational dialogue on career and leadership and presents a great mentorship opportunity.