16 Oct 2024

Mindset change is not just a theoretical construct, but an urgent call for action by leaders to drive innovation and create new knowledge towards transforming the country into a prosperous, high-income and export-led economy by 2036.

Ministry for State President assistant minister, Ms Boitumelo Gofhamodimo said this when delivering a keynote address at the Botswana Multi-Sector Mindset Change Evolution Conference in Gaborone on Tuesday.

“Our pursuit for global competitiveness, environmental sustainability, digital transformation and inclusive economic growth, just to mention a few, demand fresh and free thinking, driven by knowledge,” she said.

Ms Gofhamodimo said the two-day conference themed: Mindset Change: Pioneering Leadership for Botswana of Tomorrow, provided an opportunity for diverse and well-versed industry players, from various economic sectors, to engage in meaningful deliberations, pivotal to catalysing sustainable growth and innovation through mindset change.

For that reason, she called upon participants to commit to cultivating leadership that inspired, empowered and transformed with an understanding that ‘the key to this transformation lies within our inner being first and within each and every individual that is present as an asset to the organisation'.

She said leaders had a noble privilege to influence the trajectory of the country’s transformation with their character and actions, from which the desired norms and practices for driving positive change must be developed. Through their unique insights, she said leaders, innovators and experts were key on how to collectively re-imagine the country’s future.

Ms Gofhamodimo emphasised that mindset change must be the foundation upon which sustainable growth and innovation were built.

“It must compel us to move away from traditional silos, to embrace new ways of thinking where ideas flow freely and every challenge is seen as an opportunity for growth,” she said.

She said the event and its theme provided a perfect platform to ignite conversations and collaborations needed to drive change, adding that the linkage between mindset change and leadership stood out from the theme.

“The coupling of these concepts bears the connotation that leadership that embraces and articulates a clear vision for change, must lead the way and provide guidance towards the attainment of desired organisational outcomes,” she said.

For his part, the Chief of Staff in the Office of the President, Mr Boyce Sebetela said transformative mindsets and embracing new paradigms were key for economic and social development.

Mr Sebetela encouraged Batswana to embrace the traditional indigenous knowledge and products and start seeing them as opportunities for investment and wealth create creation.

“Economic and social transformation begins with all of us appreciating what we have. So, let’s be pro-active and start researching and documenting our traditional indigenous knowledge and products, such as traditional games, wild fruits and trees, among others, and sell it to the world if we really want to breakthrough,” he said.

For Botswana to become a high-income economy, Mr Sebetela said, there was need for Batswana to start believing that it would not come from outside, ‘but it will come from making use of our own traditional indigenous knowledge’.

“We need to do extensive research on our own indigenous products, understand the knowledge and processes behind them and invest in documenting this knowledge. Economies are built from individuals, then families. Some of the brands we embrace come from individuals. This is what the Reset Agenda and value chain speak to,” he added.

In his welcome remarks, the Mayor of Gaborone, Mr Austin Abraham also encouraged leaders from various economic sectors to take a lead in driving sustainable growth and innovation.

This, Mr Abraham said, leaders could achieve by adapting transformative mindset and being open to new ideas. ENDs