Minister Moeti Mohwasa has acknowledged the silent struggles and resilience of people living with disabilities, noting that barriers in education, employment, access to services, and societal attitudes continue to deny them their rightful place in society.
The Ministry for State President, in partnership with the Botswana Council for the Disabled (BCD), recently hosted a High-Level Consultative Forum for Non-Governmental Organizations serving persons with disabilities. The gathering, held in Gaborone, to deliberate on pressing issues affecting persons with disabilities in Botswana.
Mohwasa called for stronger efforts to foster inclusive environments and equitable opportunities, stressing that inclusion must be more than an aspiration—it must be a lived reality.
UN Resident Coordinator, Wenyan Yang emphasised that disability inclusion is central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She noted that while the SDGs call for “leaving no one behind,” persons with disabilities often remain excluded from public infrastructure, services, and opportunities. Her remarks echoed a recent UNDP analysis showing that disability inclusion is lagging within SDG monitoring, with only a handful of indicators explicitly tracking disability progress.
The forum also heard from Moffat Louis, Executive Director of BCD, who presented on the current state of the disability sector in Botswana. He outlined challenges that include inconsistent disability statistics, disparities in services across districts, delays in the release of government subventions, inadequate resources for special education, and high unemployment levels among persons with disabilities. According to a 2022 national census brief supported by the Global Disability Fund, persons with disabilities represent only 1.3 percent of the employed population in Botswana, with women experiencing unemployment rates as high as 65 percent compared to 20 percent in the general population.
In his presentation, Louis recommended reforms aimed at reducing these inequalities. He called for more timely and predictable government funding, the establishment of community disability centers across the country to provide socialization and caregiver support, and a review of disability cash transfers to align them with existing welfare programs such as the old-age pension. He also urged for comprehensive evaluations of social security programs to develop tailored interventions and advocated for ministries to appoint Disability Mainstreaming Officers to drive inclusion across government structures.
Closing the forum, Morekisi thanked participants for their contributions and praised the organizers for their commitment despite financial constraints. She reiterated that Botswana’s journey toward building a more inclusive society requires collaboration across ministries, non-governmental organizations, and international partners.
Globally, the United Nations estimates that more than one billion people live with disabilities, representing about 16 percent of the world’s population. Yet, according to the World Bank, persons with disabilities are still more likely to be unemployed, live in poverty, and experience discrimination compared to their non-disabled peers. The challenges highlighted at the forum in Gaborone reflect this wider global reality, underscoring the urgency of linking national policies with international commitments.
