CITIZEN GROWTH Wilderness and LEA forge five‑year pact to empower tourism entrepreneurs
Wilderness and the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) have signed a landmark Memorandum of Agreement to accelerate citizen enterprise development within Botswana’s tourism sector. The partnership establishes a structured Citizen Economic Empowerment Programme (CEEP), combining mentorship, supplier readiness, market access, and enterprise capability building.
The agreement builds on Wilderness’s deliberate journey since 2024 to strengthen citizen participation in tourism. That journey began with the inaugural Local Supplier Expo, which awarded over P6.3 million in contracts to 110 citizen‑owned enterprises in its first year. It expanded in 2025 through a financing model with Stanbic Bank Botswana, enabling suppliers to access commercial funding backed by real procurement opportunities.
“Today’s agreement with LEA represents the next logical step,” said Joe Matome, Caretaker Managing Director of Wilderness Botswana. “We began by creating opportunities, then improved access to finance. Now, together with LEA, we are investing in the capabilities that allow businesses to grow sustainably.”
Tourism employs more than 50,500 people in Botswana, representing 6.7% of national employment. The new partnership aligns with Government’s Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP), which prioritises citizen participation, localisation, and private sector‑led growth.
LEA Caretaker CEO Thato V. Jensen underscored the significance: “This partnership reflects what is possible when enterprise development is matched with genuine market opportunity. Our ambition is not simply to help enterprises become suppliers to Wilderness, but to develop resilient, competitive businesses that can serve the broader tourism and hospitality industry.”
Over the next five years, Wilderness and LEA will jointly identify promising enterprises, provide technical training, mentorship, governance support, and integrate citizen suppliers into Botswana’s premium tourism value chain.
For Wilderness, citizen enterprise support is integral to its conservation‑led model. Over the past decade, the company has invested more than P1.8 billion in local procurement, paid P1.2 billion in citizen wages, and contributed P305 million in concession fees to Government and communities.
Matome concluded: “Success will not be measured by agreements signed, but by the businesses that grow, the jobs created, and the communities strengthened because more Batswana are participating in the tourism economy.”
