24 Sep 2024

Minister of Finance, Ms Peggy Serame, is one of the  three finalists in Southern Africa, who will compete under the Senior Inclusive Leader Award category, at the finals of the 12th Gender Mainstreaming Awards, to be held in South Africa on October 31.

The Senior Inclusive Leader Award category recognises individuals who have shown remarkable leadership and commitment to driving inclusivity and positive change in their communities and workplaces.

Speaking in an interview, after her announcement as a finalist, during the 12th Gender Mainstreaming Awards semi-finals dinner that was organised by Walk of Hope in association with Business Engage in Gaborone on August 16, Ms Serame expressed delight for having been recognised and nominated for her leadership in tackling gender mainstreaming.

She said she was happy that people recognised the job she was doing.

Business Engage Botswana lead and Walk of Hope founder and director, Ms Theriso Motsumi-Motsemeng, said if Ms Serame emerges as the winner, she would become an ambassador for the Business Engage 12th Gender Mainstreaming Awards for a year. 

Ms Motsumi-Motsemeng thanked Business Engage South Africa chief executive officer, Ms Collen Larsen, for sponsoring the semi-finals awards dinner that was also graced by the Assistant Minister for State President, Ms Boitumelo Gofhamodimo, who also presented the awards to all the recipients.

From the initial 395 nominees, in Southern Africa, Ms Motsumi-Motsemeng explained that Ms Serame had proceeded to the top; 85, 12, seven and three, respectively, following the recent interview of the previously seven finalists.

Together with the Botswana Insurance Company chief executive officer, Mr Newton Jazire, who has also been nominated for the same category, Minister Serame would compete at the finals in South Africa, where regional winners would be announced.

Still at the awards dinner, the following emerged winners and advanced to represent the country at the finals in Southern Africa, under the Junior Inclusive Leader Award category; Mediland chief executive officer, Mr Scott Senwelo, BWJobs 4 Graduates founder and director, Mr Christopher Seagateng and Metropolitan Life Botswana Chief Operating Officer, Ms Priscilla Ndadi. Ms Ndadi also emerged the winner under the Positive Role Model category.

Companies that also emerged as finalists under the Gender Mainstreaming and People Living with Disability Awards categories, in the top nine, in Southern Africa, include F. Ismail Group, Construction Diary,

Re-Aga Mmogo Rehabilitation Centre and Eyelight Optometrist.

Additionally, Ms Motsumi-Motsemeng said Regent Hill School was also in top five under the Economic Empowerment category.

“Botswana did well in Southern Africa putting it under position one again as we had over 19 finalists, inclusive of companies, which put our country on the map as we were able to beat finalists from Middle East and Africa as a whole,” said Ms Motsumi-Motsemeng.  Currently, she said all the finalists were busy with their projects, which contributed  to them emerging victorious.
She appealed to companies and individuals to rally behind the finalists and assist those in need of support for either travelling or accommodation expenses.

Giving a brief background of the awards, Ms Motsumi-Motsemeng said the annual Gender Mainstreaming Awards started in 2012 and represented the pinnacle of recognition for outstanding commitment to advancing gender equality and inclusivity across the continent, by rewarding corporates and individuals for the work they did in gender mainstreaming.

The Business Engage and 12th Gender Mainstreaming Awards, she said, were both committed to ensuring men and women worked together and knew that they needed each other in the workplace. She said the awards helped to showcase the leadership capabilities that women possessed, as well as their ability to fit into any position.

Explaining the nomination criteria for the Gender Mainstreaming Awards, Ms Motsumi-Motsemeng said every year, in March, Business Engage opened up nominations for submission of detailed profiles of nominees, through the organisation’s website.

Once the deadline for submission of nominations has elapsed, a panel of 90 judges, with five judges per award category, assesses all the nominations and contacts the shortlisted nominees for virtual interviews, as the second leg of the judging criteria.

The virtual interviews, she said, were meant to establish the impact made by nominees in their respective countries, ultimately followed by announcement of nominated finalists during the semi-finals awards ceremony.

“Botswana has not been recognised because in the past years no one was nominated or entered to compete in the awards. But, this year, the country has done exceptionally well with 14 finalists and four companies, out of over 1 600 nominees in Southern Africa,” she said.

“Last year I happened to be the only Motswana, who was one of the finalists, nominated alone by a Motswana who was residing in France and the country became number one, in group five, and then number one also in group five under the general sector,” she added.

She expressed delight that, in line with the National Development Plans and Sustainable Development Goals, the government of Botswana recognised the importance of having women in leadership positions, citing as an example,Ms Serame being the first woman to be a Minister of Finance in Botswana.

Women in Business Association president, Ms Nametso Ntsosa-Carr, who was the guest speaker at the semi- finals awards dinner, commended finalists for demonstrating outstanding leadership and inclusivity in gender mainstreaming.

Ms Ntsosa-Carr, who is also an entrepreneur, thanked Business Engage and Walk of Hope Botswana for the awards initiative aimed at highlighting the impact of gender mainstreaming in Africa, thereby promoting inclusivity for sustainable development.
In his remarks, the 12th Gender Mainstreaming Awards judge, Mr William Surmon, said he was impressed with the quality of entries received.

Mr Surmon also applauded Business Engage and Walk of Hope for having collaborated to successfully bring the Gender Mainstreaming Awards semi-finals to Botswana for the first time. Ends