Meet Bogolo Joy Kenewendo: Botswana’s Trailblazing Minister Shaping Trade, Energy & Africa’s Future

Photo Credit: Bogolo Joy Kenewendo/Instagram

Bogolo Joy Kenewendo’s career has been marked by history-making milestones. In 2016, she entered Botswana’s political scene as a presidential nominee to parliament, and by 2018, at just 30, she became the country’s youngest cabinet minister when President Mokgweetsi Masisi appointed her Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry. She quickly gained recognition for reforming Botswana’s business environment and negotiating key trade agreements.

In 2022, TIME magazine named her among its TIME100 Next honourees, citing her influence in shaping Africa’s trade and climate policy.

Last year, 2024, marked a new chapter for both Kenewendo and Botswana. Under the current administration, she was specially elected to parliament once again and sworn in as Minister of Minerals and Energy. Now 37, she is tasked with steering Botswana’s mineral-rich economy through the global energy transition—bringing with her years of experience in economic diplomacy, climate action, and sustainable development.

So, who is Bogolo Joy Kenewendo?

Kenewendo is an economic diplomacy professional whose 15-year career spans trade, investment, finance, and public policy. Trained as an economist, she first entered public life in 2016 as a Specially Elected Member of Parliament. Two years later, she was appointed Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, where she championed regulatory reforms designed to make Botswana more competitive.

Her tenure saw Botswana play a pivotal role in several trade negotiations, including the African Continental Free Trade Area, the European Union’s Economic Partnership Agreement, and the United Kingdom’s post-Brexit trade deal. She chaired the Southern Africa Customs Union Council of Ministers of Trade, a position that gave her a front-row seat in shaping the region’s economic future.

After leaving government in 2019, Kenewendo joined the United Nations as a Special Advisor to the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions. There, she focused on unlocking financing for sustainable development in emerging markets. She helped design the UN’s $20 billion compendium of climate action projects and worked on initiatives such as the Africa Carbon Market Initiative, the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance, and the Africa Climate Risk Insurance Facility for Adaptation.

Her expertise has also made her a sought-after board member. She currently chairs Bank Gaborone, serves as a non-executive director at the Africa Free Trade Area Adjustment Fund Corporation, and sits on the board of the Africa Center for Economic Transformation.