“All of these SOEs are very much scalable, they can become continental players… We have not really had a forecast on sectors that have the highest prospects of success – it’s time we did. In the past, government poured money into SMEs [small and medium enterprises] because it was popular. Now we need to support commercialised, high-productivity agriculture.”

Motswana economist and politician

Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe is a Motswana economist and politician. Since 7 November 2024, he has served as Vice-President of Botswana and Minister of Finance under President Duma Boko. He is the leader of the Alliance for Progressives and an elected member of Botswana’s National Assembly. He represents Gaborone Bonnington South, returning to the seat after previously holding it from 2014 to 2019. Within the ruling coalition, the Umbrella for Democratic Change, he is a central figure in the Alliance for Progressives, combining economic work with active political leadership.