In a continent that has a median age of 19, it’s rare to have someone in their mid-twenties in a ministerial position. Most of these seats are held by people above this age group, often people who have been in government for at least a decade. However, Botswana is changing things after Duma Boko appointed 26-year-old, Lesego Chombo as the country’s Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs of Botswana. Let’s dive deep and find out more about her.
Lesego Chombo’s Path to a Ministerial Position
Lesego’s education background is in law. She attended the University of Botswana and then began her career with an internship at Baliki Corporate Law. After, Chombo joined Kebabonye Business Law where she is now an associate.
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She aims to establish her law firm to continue her advocacy grounded in community and social justice. As a result of this, she was first appointed to parliament in 2024 and then the minister for youth and gender affairs.
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Pageant Queen
Apart from her law studies, Chombo is a beauty queen. She was named Miss World Botswana 2022 during which she launched her project, GENESIS, aimed at providing Wellness, a conducive environment that produces children who understand their rights.
She promised to use her legal expertise to fight for children and gender-based violence victims. To execute this, she launched the Lesogo Chombo Foundation which works under the GENESIS PROJECT.
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Vision for Young People
Chombo’s portfolio is aimed at addressing critical issues affecting the youth: unemployment, cultural preservation, and gender inequality. In her first address as Minister, she committed to amplifying the voices of young people and women.
“Our country’s young people and women hold the key to our future. My goal is to ensure their voices are amplified in every policy decision, and their potential is unlocked for the benefit of Botswana.”
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According to the Botswana Labour Market Observatory, Botswana unemployment rate stands at 25.4%. To reduce this, she is working to collaborate with the private sector to create jobs, and offer entrepreneur support and skills development programs.
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Chombo’s Challenges
Chombo’s critics point to her limited experience as a barrier to delivering results due to government bureaucracy and other factors. However, many young people are looking for an alternative as they haven’t been served by previous regimes so she is the right person to do this job. Plus, she needs to be afforded time to deliver on her mandate.
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In Conclusion
Lesogo Chombo represents a bright future for Botswana and African leadership. Young people are looking for voices that understand their struggles hence turning to people like her. Whether she will deliver on her mandate or not, only time will tell.
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