Local Entrepreneurs Spotlight Homegrown Innovation at Dikgwebo Dialogues

Local Entrepreneurs Spotlight Homegrown Innovation at Dikgwebo Dialogues. This morning’s session of Dikgwebo Dialogues focused on how Botswana’s entrepreneurs are transforming everyday local resources into profitable, high-impact businesses. Held as part of an ongoing effort to drive SME development and local innovation, the event created space for thought-provoking discussions and idea exchange.

Two standout entrepreneurs took centre stage to share how indigenous knowledge and materials are fuelling modern solutions. Gogontle Basiami, founder of Bloom Sanitary Pads, spoke about how her company uses letlhaka and other local fibres to manufacture eco-friendly sanitary products. Her approach merges sustainability with affordability, offering alternatives that are both accessible and rooted in local production.

Phatsimo Matshediso of Phatsima Innovation highlighted how natural ingredients such as moringa and moretologa are being processed into high-value wellness and health products. Her venture demonstrates how traditional plants—often overlooked—can serve as raw materials for products that meet rising consumer demand in the health sector.

At the heart of both stories is a shared commitment to innovation, using available resources to develop solutions that respond to community needs while creating economic opportunity. The session drew an engaged audience, with participants actively asking questions, sharing insights, and exchanging contacts for future collaboration.

Organised with the support of UNICEF Botswana, Generation Unlimited, and the Botswana Digital & Innovation Hub (BDIH), the Dikgwebo Dialogues series continues to serve as a platform where ideas meet action, and where entrepreneurs across Botswana can showcase how innovation is truly happening here.

For Botswana’s entrepreneurs and small businesses, today’s dialogue reaffirmed the potential of local materials, indigenous knowledge, and creative thinking to drive sustainable growth.