Dorcas Makgato-Malesu is the Minister of Trade and Industry in Botswana and a well-respected businesswoman who has worked in southern Africa’s automotive industry and with Botswana’s national airline, Air Botswana. Makgato-Malesu has also worked on the Botswana Export, Development and Investment Authority, a private-sector organisation that works closely with the government to assist export-orientated enterprises. Its aim is to broaden Botswana’s economy beyond its traditional mining industries and ensure that the country has a conductive climate for investment. She used her role as the authority’s CEO to overhaul the organisation’s working structures and advance it to become one of Africa’s most admired investment promotion authorities.

These experiences have extended into Makgato-Malesu’s current role in the trade and industry ministry, where she continues to strive to make Botswana an attractive place to do business. She hopes to use her position to help the country pursue sustainable industries and trade. Makgato-Malesu said she is driven by the opportunity to leave a noticeable and enviable mark on Botswana’s industrial base as it matures. Since taking up the portfolio in 2010, Makgato-Malesu has deepened ties between Botswana and its neighbouring countries in southern and eastern Africa, while introducing initiatives to strengthen the brand identity of Botswana’s diamond industry and that of the country as a whole.