Vice President and Minister of Finance, Ndaba Gaolathe has stressed the importance of youth in shaping Botswana’s destiny stating that the future of the country is not abstract but already taking form in the ambitions, ideas, and courage of its young people.
Ndaba noted that his belief is that the destiny of the nation will be shaped by the choices that the youth make in this very generation. He noted that the youth are the most connected generation to be ever known as they carry more information, networks, tools, and more access than entire governments once possessed.
Ndaba was speaking during the Budget Pitso for Youth that was held in Gaborone this week.
“For many years, we have told young people that they are the future of this country. Today, I want to say something more demanding, and more truthful. You are not only the future of Botswana. You are the present solution. You are the most educated generation this country has ever produced,” he said.
He said that nations are strengthened when young people choose integrity while they are still young, pointing that the youth of Botswana are that generation and understand this calling better.
“But to rise to this calling, we must confront an uncomfortable truth. For too long, we have nurtured a culture where government is expected to be the first answer, the only answer and the permanent answer. That culture is understandable, but it is no longer sustainable,” Ndaba said.
He highlighted that across the world, young people live differently as students work part-time, take multiple jobs, build resilience and learn discipline early. Ndaba stated that in Botswana too often, circumstances have pushed students into a narrow path, where survival depends on allowances alone, and opportunity feels delayed rather than earned.
He said that there is a need for the government to change how it enables, listens, and delivers because responsibility is shared, even when leadership is carried forward by the young.
“That culture must begin to change with you, not because Government is withdrawing support, but because a dependent youth cannot build an independent nation,” Ndaba urged the youth.
Ndaba noted that the constraints faced by the youth are real but they are not unique to Botswana, and they are not permanent barriers, therefore the youth should not wait for perfect times to bring change.
He further highlighted that Botswana is living through an economic transition that is real, structural, and unavoidable. Ndaba stated that the economic model that carried Botswana for decades, anchored in diamonds and a strong central role for Government, cannot carry into the next generation in the same way.
He said that the global uncertainty has increased, fiscal space is tighter, and the room for inefficiency, dependency, and delay has narrowed significantly.
