National Arts Council of Botswana’s Creative & Cultural Sector Development Coordinator, Marang Selolwane, represented the country’s creative arts sector at the Africa Foresight Network Dialogue Session on Advancing Regional Capacity for Strategic Foresight. The session focused on long-term planning and capacity building for Africa’s cultural and creative industries.
Marang Selolwane emphasized that over the next 20 years, Botswana’s culture, creative arts, and tourism sectors will increasingly operate in digital spaces. She noted that strong digital infrastructure is essential to enable local creatives to compete and thrive in an evolving global market.
She highlighted the need for a shift from content creation to ownership and monetisation, underlining the importance of strengthening intellectual property systems and expanding market access. Marang also stressed the role of creatives as core contributors to culture-led, experience-based tourism, positioning the creative sector as a key driver of national economic growth.
According to Marang, a thriving creative economy requires strategic investment in infrastructure, skills development, policy frameworks, and enterprise support. Such investment will transform Botswana’s creative industries into sustainable pillars of national identity, job creation, and economic development.
Her participation underscored the importance of foresight-driven planning to ensure Botswana’s creative and cultural sectors are equipped to meet future challenges and opportunities. The dialogue reinforced the need for coordinated efforts to integrate digital innovation, market strategies, and policy support into the country’s long-term cultural and economic development agenda.
