• TSAONE SEGAETSHOThe end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 saw the Botswana Development Corporation (BDC), a 100 percent Botswana Government-owned commercial and industrial development agency, lose two directors due to resignation and the expiration of a contract.
Businessman Mmonesi Aryl Ralebala’s tenure at BDC ended on 31 January 2024, while another board member, Shirley Moncho, resigned on 30 December 2023. It was then incumbent upon the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Peggy Serame, to find replacements, which she has now done.
BDC Company Secretary, Gilbert Ofetotse, announced on Friday the appointment of two new directors, Gideon Mmolawa and Boyang Mufahothe, to the Board of Directors as Non-Executive Directors, effective from 1 April 2024.
Introducing Mmolawa, currently the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ofetotse noted that the new board member holds a Master of Arts Degree in Development Policy and Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Accounting from the University of Botswana.
Minister of Finance Serame believes Mmolawa will be a valuable addition to the BDC board. At the Ministry of Trade and Industry, he provides strategic leadership, coordinates internal and international trade issues, and advises the Permanent Secretary on appropriate strategies and policy issues relating to trade. Mmolawa has extensive experience in public service, having joined as an Assistant Economist in June 1992 and rising to the position of Chief Economist at the Ministry of Finance.
This is not Mmolawa’s first board appointment; he has served on the Boards of the Botswana Bureau of Standards, the Public Enterprises Evaluation and Privatisation Agency, and the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency. According to Ofetotse, other assignments of Mmolawa include serving as the Coordinator of the European Union and the Southern African Customs Union plus Mozambique and United Kingdom Economic Partnership Agreements.
As for Mufahothe, she holds a Master’s Degree in People Management, an Honours Degree in Organisational Psychology, and a Degree in Labour Law, Organisational Psychology, and Human Resources Management from the University of Cape Town. Mufahothe is also a certified Executive and Management coach and a seasoned human capital professional with strong business acumen, leveraging over ten years of experience working across different industries in Botswana.
Through her roles, she has proven to be a competent leader and practitioner who demonstrates exceptional people management skills, ensuring that human resources programmes and initiatives create a positive employee experience in alignment with overall business objectives. Having worked in progressive organisations, she is intimately familiar with issues around organisational culture, change management, diversity and inclusion, and the myriad of important issues encompassed within the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) themes, according to Ofetotse.
One of Mufahothe’s achievements includes being a recipient of the Top 100 Influential HR Leaders in Botswana award. She is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Human Resources Society Botswana.
