Botswana hosted the Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa this year for the third consecutive time. Celebrated for its exceptional networking and learning opportunities, the summit gathered prominent young leaders, founders, and creators for an impactful four-day event from May 5th to May 8th.
At the opening ceremony, Slumber Tsogwane emphasised the various avenues to wealth creation, underscoring entrepreneurship as a key path for channeling the energy, aspirations, and innovative capacity of Africa’s youth.
He commended the Forbes Under 30 platform for its investment in the next generation of business leaders, offering them opportunities to explore, innovate, and expand their ventures.
Tsogwane highlighted Botswana’s enhanced profile as a result of hosting the summit, referencing the well-received Special Issue of Forbes Africa Magazine dedicated to the country’s development trajectory. He also noted the film “Botswana – The Diamond of Africa,” produced in partnership with CNBC Africa, as a further testament to Botswana’s growing prominence on the global stage.
“It is my conviction that all other participating countries can attribute some positive developments in their global profiles to the participation of their young people,” he said.
According to him, the Forbes Under 30 entrepreneurship engagement with cohorts of about 600 young entrepreneurs every year with the 2024 edition amassing 1000 delegates, and an audience of over 100 million followers across all its platforms has left an indelible mark on African businesses and young people eager to grow their business start-ups.
“Forbes Under 30 Africa Summit has enabled our youth to dare to dream, to try their business ideas rather than be paralysed by the fear of failure, and seek to explore opportunities in business networks to find investors,” Tsogwane added.
He further emphasised the importance of providing funding and mentorship to young entrepreneurs to strengthen their resolve and foster their resilience.
Central to Tsogwane’s address was the role of the summit in President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s initiative, which he said is nestled within the Reset and Reclaim Agenda priority of Digitisation, in respect to economic diversification, improvement of productivity and efficiencies of the delivery of public services.
“It is also a means of opening possibilities for Value Chain Development, by accessing several youth-oriented economic empowerment programmes, leveraging on their Forbes’ learnings and experience,” he said.
Furthermore, Tsogwane outlined the summit’s theme, “The Engine of Africa’s Growth: Investment and Entrepreneurship,” aligning it with both Africa’s Agenda 2063 and Botswana’s national vision for 2036. He emphasised the summit’s role in fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing, leading to policy shifts that position Africa as a global player in entrepreneurship.
Tsogwane expressed his optimism for the exchange of ideas and the cultivation of partnerships that will shape Africa’s economic landscape for years to come. He called upon delegates and speakers to share their expertise and experiences, inspiring the next generation of African entrepreneurs.
With registrants from more than 40 countries spanning various sectors such as Banking and Finance, Consumer Goods and Services, Media, Entertainment, Technology and Software, Venture Capital, Design and more, the summit offered exclusive networking opportunities, industry-focused excursions, and local culinary experiences. Featured panel speakers included government officials, venture capitalists, leading CEOs and celebrities.
