Strengthening Gender and Inclusivity in Botswana Research and Innovation

Women and girls make up over half of Botswana’s population. Yet, they remain underrepresented in science, technology, and innovation (STI). To unlock Botswana’s full potential for sustainable socio-economic development, the country must remove barriers to gender equality in STI.

Why Gender and Inclusivity Matter in Botswana

Botswana faces several challenges that limit women’s participation in STI, including:

• Social norms and stereotypes
• Unequal access to leadership and funding
• Limited support for women in research careers
• High rates of gender-based discrimination and violence

Despite these challenges, Botswana has strong policies like the National Policy on Gender and Development and the Revised National Policy on Research, Science, Technology, and Innovation (RSTI). These policies aim to increase women’s participation in STEM fields and leadership roles.

Progress Made So Far

Botswana has shown promising signs of progress:

• Achieved educational gender parity, with women making up 70% of tertiary students
• Improved gender-related research output by 42% between 2008 and 2017
• Launched initiatives like WEGSA a to encourage girls in STEM
• Developed gender-sensitive STI policies and promoted cross-sector partnerships

Key Challenges Remain

However, Botswana still struggles with:

• Low female representation in STI careers, especially in engineering and technology
• Gender stereotypes discouraging girls from pursuing STEM
• Limited data on women’s participation in research and leadership
• High dropout rates due to social and economic factors

What Needs to Happen?

To ensure inclusivity and harness the country’s full human potential, Botswana should:

• Collect gender-disaggregated data across the STI pipeline
• Support women with mentorship, funding, and leadership opportunities
• Address social norms and improve career progression pathways
• Strengthen collaboration with stakeholders like BITRI and African Academy of Sciences

Conclusion

By empowering women and promoting inclusivity in STI, Botswana can drive innovation and create a more inclusive economy. This approach is essential for achieving long-term socio-economic growth.