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.
