Chevening Alumni Botswana

🌟 Alumni Spotlight: Laura Bafaletse 🌟

We are proud to spotlight Laura Bafaletse, founder and director of iHerd, an energetic farmer, entrepreneur, and visionary leader who continues to make a meaningful impact in Botswana’s agricultural and business sectors.

A Chevening Scholar with an MSc in Environmental and Business Management (UK), Laura brings over 10 years of leadership experience, having served in various managerial roles in Operations and currently as Managing Director. Passionate about empowering those around her, she is especially committed to supporting and developing local farmers.

Laura recently featured on PodiCast with Scar, where she shared valuable insights on balancing family life with multiple entrepreneurial ventures, navigating the challenges of government tendering, managing mental health as a business owner, and the importance of professionalising agricultural record-keeping for operational success.

Congratulations, Laura, on your continued achievements and inspiring leadership journey! 👏✨Laura Thato Bafaletse

Alumni Spotlight 🌟

We celebrate Eunice on her new role as a mentor in the MASA Innovation Mentorship Program.

Through MASA—a collaboration between the University of Botswana and the Botswana International University of Science and Technology with global linkages to the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program—Eunice is supporting young innovators to transform ideas into impactful ventures.

Her work continues to advance innovation, STEM education, and youth empowerment in Botswana, contributing to a stronger and more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.

University of Botswana
Botswana International University of Science and Technology

Alumni Spotlight 🌟

We celebrate Eunice on her new role as a mentor in the MASA Innovation Mentorship Program.

Through MASA—a collaboration between the University of Botswana and the Botswana International University of Science and Technology with global linkages to the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program—Eunice is supporting young innovators to transform ideas into impactful ventures.

Her work continues to advance innovation, STEM education, and youth empowerment in Botswana, contributing to a stronger and more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.

We extend our sincere appreciation to Stanbic Bank Accelerate for generously hosting this year’s Youth Innovation Hackathon showcase.

As a bank, your commitment goes beyond financial services — it reflects a deep and deliberate investment in people, ideas, and possibility. By consistently opening your doors to youth-led innovation, you demonstrate that supporting young problem-solvers is not an obligation, but a conviction.

Your willingness to provide a platform for emerging innovators speaks to true devotion and commitment to making the lives of Batswana — young and old — better. It affirms that progress is built not only through capital, but through confidence, collaboration, and courage.

This partnership represents more than venue support. It represents belief.

We are grateful for your selfless support and for standing with the next generation of solution-builders.

🏆 Youth Innovation Hackathon Winners Announced!

After an intense and inspiring showcase, we are proud to announce our top three teams:

🥇 1st Prize – Motswedi-Smart

📍 Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST)
👩🏾‍🔬 Anesu Shantel Kahari & Janine Olesego Leso

Motswedi-Smart tackled Gaborone’s growing flash flood crisis by proposing a “Smart-Sponge” urban retrofit system. Their solution converts road medians into green bioswales that capture, filter, and store stormwater using Vetiver grass and underground tanks — supported by solar-powered IoT sensors that provide early warning alerts.

A smart, scalable, climate-resilient solution.

🥈 2nd Prize – Sentinel

📍 Botswana Accountancy College (BAC)
👥 Reneetswe Letsoalo, Lucianah Gofhamodimo, Godiraone Gunda & Ashley Lethugile

Sentinel developed Flood Guard AI — a predictive early warning system combining low-cost sensors, AI analysis, and community-powered data to forecast floods 6–24 hours in advance and send targeted evacuation alerts via WhatsApp and SMS.

A powerful blend of technology and community intelligence.

🥉 3rd Prize – Green Arc Creations

📍 Ba Isago University
👥 Maatla Babantsho, Tshiamo Gaorongwe, Edwin Kgari, Levy Oleseng & Laone Legodi

Green Arc Creations proposed retrofitting impermeable urban surfaces with permeable materials and green infrastructure to increase water infiltration and reduce runoff — a practical and sustainable approach to urban flood resilience.

These teams showcased bold thinking, strong research, and real-world solutions to flood resilience in Gaborone.

The future of innovation is in good hands. 🌍✨

🌱 Congratulations to Our Finalists! 🌱
The Chevening Alumni Association of Botswana (CHAABO) is proud to congratulate all the outstanding finalists of the Climate Resilience Hackathon Challenge. Your innovation, teamwork, and commitment to building climate-resilient solutions for Botswana truly inspire us.

📅 National Showcase: 27 February 2026
📍 In person: Gaborone
💻 Online: Universities outside Gaborone

This national showcase will spotlight bold ideas, practical solutions, and the next generation of climate leaders. We look forward to engaging with you as you present solutions that can shape a more resilient and sustainable future.

Well done to all finalists — the journey continues! 🌍🚀

Our 4th and final judge for this year’s climate hackathon is Ms. Taboka Mabayani. Taboka is a Spatial Planner with extensive experience in National and Regional Planning, as well as Integrated Land Use Management Planning. She is deeply committed to advancing economic diversification, climate resilience and sustainable development, with professional experience in both Botswana and South Africa.

Ms Mabayani is a WITS–TUB Urban Lab alumni and holds a Master’s degree in Development Planning from the University of the Witwatersrand. She served diligently as a part-time lecturer at the University of Botswana during the 2024–2025 academic year, contributing positively to academic and professional capacity building in the urban
planning field.

Her commitment to climate resilience was reflected in her role as moderator of a high-level panel discussion on urban resilience, climate adaptation and sustainable infrastructure in Gaborone during World Town Planners Day 2025, hosted by the P**a Institute of Town Planners (PITP) in collaboration with the African Development Bank.

Through this platform, she facilitated critical dialogue on integrating climate-responsive planning and infrastructure investment into national and local development frameworks.

Ms. Mabayani previously served as Secretary General of the PITP Executive Committee (2022–2024) and is a member of the Women in Water Diplomacy Network for ORASECOM River Basin

MEET OUR JUDGE AND GUEST OF HONOUR

Eng. Venencia Dundu (née Chirozva) is a highly accomplished Structural Engineer and infrastructure leader with over twenty-three (23) years of professional experience across Botswana and the SADC region. A Zimbabwean national and long-standing contributor to Botswana’s engineering landscape, she currently serves as Director at CPP Botswana (Pty) Ltd, where she leads complex structural and infrastructure projects that shape the country’s built environment.

Registered as a Professional Engineer with the Engineers Registration Board (ERB) and a Member of the Botswana Institution of Engineers (MBIE), Eng. Dundu brings deep expertise in structural design, assessment, quality assurance, and project leadership. Her portfolio spans bridges, hospitals, water treatment plants, dams, industrial facilities, commercial developments, residential estates, and large-scale mining infrastructure.
Throughout her distinguished career, she has led and contributed to landmark projects including:

Major bridge design and structural reviews under national road upgrades
Water treatment plants and sanitation infrastructure across Botswana
Structural integrity assessments for critical mining and corporate facilities
Hospital and institutional building developments
Quality assurance oversight for large-scale dam construction

Her technical strengths include reinforced concrete and steel design, bridge engineering, structural condition assessment, finite element analysis, quality control systems, and multidisciplinary coordination. Beyond design, she is widely respected for her meticulous approach to structural safety, sustainability, and long-term infrastructure resilience.

Eng. Dundu’s participation as Guest of Honour and Judge at the CHAABO Climate Hackathon 2026 is especially fitting given this year’s focus on climate resilience and retrofitting Botswana’s built environment. Her extensive experience in structural assessment and infrastructure adaptation positions her uniquely to evaluate solutions that address flooding, sustainability, and the strengthening of existing structures against climate impacts.

As a leader in a traditionally male-dominated field, she is also a powerful role model for young engineers and innovators — particularly women in STEM — demonstrating that technical excellence, integrity, and perseverance can shape national development.

At the National Showcase hosted at Stanbic Bank Accelerate, she will bring a practitioner’s lens to evaluating innovation, feasibility, structural soundness, and long-term impact — ensuring that student ideas are not only creative, but technically viable and scalable within Botswana’s context.

Her presence reinforces CHAABO’s commitment to bridging academia and industry, inspiring young innovators to move confidently from ideas to implementation.

The day has finally arrived, Meet our our for the CHAABO 2026 CLIMATE RESILIENCE HACKATHON CHALLENGE

Ntokozo T. Vellah is a climate finance and sustainability strategist with over a decade of experience spanning financial governance, enterprise leadership, sustainable finance structuring, and national climate policy engagement across Southern Africa. He serves as Partnerships and Sustainable Finance Lead at the Botswana Green Building Council, contributing to green finance pathways and national NDC processes, and is the Founder and Managing Director of Pushing Product, where he structures cross-border market access and investment facilitation under the AfCFTA framework. His work bridges community engagement, Natural Climate Solutions, immersive climate storytelling, and commercial transformation, positioning sustainability as an implementable economic transition.