Trailblazer Rising Keenese Katisenge‑Tizhani joins African Union’s Women & Girls in Sport Working Group
When Botswana’s Keenese Katisenge‑Tizhani walks into a room, sport listens. And now, the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) has made sure the whole continent will hear her voice. She has been appointed to the AUSC Women and Girls in Sport Working Group (WGWG) — a technical and advisory body tasked with pushing Africa’s gender equality and empowerment agenda through sport.
This is no ordinary appointment. It is a recognition of a career that has been stitched together with passion, leadership, and a refusal to let women and girls remain on the sidelines.
From Chessboard to Continental Stage
Katisenge‑Tizhani’s journey began with chess — first as a player, then as a club administrator, and by the age of 23, she was already shaping national sport administration. Between 2008 and 2017, she held multiple leadership roles in the Botswana Chess Federation: Clubs Secretary, Additional Member, Secretary General, and Public Relations Director.
Her influence spread beyond Botswana. She became a Councillor on the International Chess Federation Commission for Women in Chess and served as Secretary for the African Chess Confederation Women’s Commission. In both roles, she championed women’s participation and leadership in a sport often dominated by men.
Beyond the Board
Chess was only the beginning. Katisenge‑Tizhani’s fingerprints are all over Botswana’s sport structures. She was Head of Marketing for the Gaborone International Meet (now Botswana Golden Grand Prix), sat on the Botswana Football Association Club Licensing Committee, and contributed to the Botswana Volleyball Federation Marketing Commission.
She chaired the Botswana Sport Volunteers Movement from 2019 to 2021, proving her commitment to building volunteerism and community participation. And through her own initiative — Limitless Minds, an inclusive chess academy — she opened doors for children and communities to access sport and mind games.
Champion of Women in Sport
Currently, she serves as Chairperson of Women and Sport Botswana (WASBO), where she continues to push for representation, leadership, and visibility of women in sport. Her role as Chairperson of the AUSC Region 5 Women in Sport Committee already made her a regional voice; now, her appointment to the continental Working Group elevates her influence to Africa‑wide decision‑making.
The Working Group itself is no small committee. It aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the AU Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Strategy, the AU Policy Framework for the Sustainable Development of Sport in Africa (2018–2028), the Maputo Protocol, and the AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (2025). Its mission: to create an enabling environment where women and girls can access, participate in, lead, and benefit from sport.
Decorated and Recognised
Her work has not gone unnoticed. In 2015, she was crowned Sports Administrator of the Year at the Botswana Sport Awards. That same year, she represented Botswana and Africa at the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace Youth Leadership Summit in the United States.
She is also a 2019 Mandela Washington Fellow, a former YALI Influencer, and a nominee for the Diamond Service Awards. Each recognition adds another jewel to her crown of professional excellence.
More Than Sport
Katisenge‑Tizhani is not only a sport leader. She is also an accomplished International Trade and Business Development professional. Her academic arsenal includes an Executive MBA, a Bachelor of Business Administration, a Postgraduate Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management, and professional certificates in Corporate Governance, Digital Transformation, and PRINCE2 Foundation.
A Colossal of a Sportswoman
Her appointment to the AUSC Women and Girls in Sport Working Group is more than a personal milestone. It is a continental statement: Botswana produces leaders who can shape Africa’s future. Katisenge‑Tizhani embodies empowerment, inclusion, and sustainable development through sport. She is proof that women and girls are not just participants — they are leaders, decision‑makers, and beneficiaries of Africa’s sport development agenda.
