Mmegi

Letshego refocuses its African dream

Slimming down: Letshego is recalibrating into a lean, mean machine PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG
Slimming down: Letshego is recalibrating into a lean, mean machine PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG

Homegrown microlender, Letshego Africa, is selling five of its East and West African subsidiaries, taking a loss of P281 million on the deal. An ambitious expansion strategy that began in 2005 has suffered the perils other titans faced when ‘doing business in Africa’. MBONGENI MGUNI writes

January 2005 was a history-making month for Letshego Africa. The then seven-year old microlender officially established a presence outside Botswana for the first time, marking a bold and pioneering move for a local company, as its peers were and generally continue to be conservative in their expansion outlook.

Letshego’s choice of address for its debut expansion was equally ambitious, skipping over the regional neighbours and reaching to Uganda, a market removed from the familial comforts of Botswana and Southern Africa.

Editor's Comment
Gov't must guard against cadre deployment

As the Botswana National Front (BNF) discusses a policy to place suitably qualified members in strategic positions, the guiding consideration should remain whether an individual is the best person to serve the country. There is nothing wrong with qualified party members applying for public positions. Political affiliation should neither disqualify a capable candidate nor give them an advantage over others. Every Motswana deserves a fair...

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