Gaokgakala Daniel Lemmenyane Appointed Chief Executive Officer of NACB

Gaokgakala Daniel Lemmenyane Appointed Chief Executive Officer of NACB. The National Arts Council of Botswana has appointed Mr Gaokgakala Daniel Lemmenyane as its Chief Executive Officer, marking a new chapter for the country’s creative and cultural sector.

Lemmenyane brings more than 15 years of leadership experience spanning arts administration, cultural policy, academia, government and international institutions. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Post Graduate Certificate of Education from the University of Cape Town, and a Master of Arts from the University of the Witwatersrand, where he is currently pursuing doctoral studies.

His professional background includes six years as Director of Maitisong Theatre at Maru-a-Pula School, where he led operations and sponsorship driven programming. During this period, he conceptualised, produced and fundraised for initiatives such as the Maitisong Festival, the Mascom President’s Concert and Barclays’ Madi Majwana, which spanned radio, stage and social media platforms.

Lemmenyane also spent five years at the University of the Witwatersrand as Head of the Arts Department and lecturer, contributing to teaching, research and institutional performance. He is a founding member of Drama for Life, an international programme focused on skills development, recognition of prior learning and the use of creative methodologies across education, health and social justice.

His industry experience includes four years as a UNICEF Botswana consultant, where he led productions including the local adaptation of MTV’s Shuga Down South. He later served as Policy Specialist for Arts and Culture in the former Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development.

More recently, Lemmenyane worked at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa as Advisor to the Chairperson on Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, supporting strategy, partnerships and stakeholder engagement.

The Council said his appointment positions NACB to advance the growth of Botswana’s creative and cultural industries through strengthened leadership and sector coordination in the years ahead for artists nationwide locally.