15 June 2025
In a year where Batswana youth continue to rise and redefine excellence, Botswana proudly takes its place in the spotlight with two of its brightest stars Letsile School-boy Tebogo and Gogontle Basiami earning coveted spots on the 2025 Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list.
No one hears more ‘no’s’ or has more doors slammed in their face than a young person chasing a dream and trying to solve a formidable problem. But ask any of these young Africans, and they will tell you that every setback has built their resilience. If no one offers them opportunities, they will create them, and across sectors, with an unshakeable passion for nation building and development. Here are two of Botswana’s finest, who made the list of this year’s finalists of FORBES AFRICA’S 11th edition of the annual 30 Under 30 list.
Letsile School-boy Tebogo, born in Kanye in 2003, is Botswana’s golden sprinting sensation literally and figuratively as he is Africa’s first-ever Olympic gold medallist in the 200m with a blistering time of 19.46 seconds at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He has broken barriers as the first Motswana to run under 10 seconds in the 100m, and he holds records across 100m, 200m, and even the rarely-run 300m, where he set a world best of 30.69 seconds in Pretoria. His performances have drawn comparisons to legends such as Usain Bolt not just for his speed, but for his charisma and confidence on the track.
Off track, he’s a De Beers global ambassador, using his platform to inspire youth and spotlight Botswana’s potential.
Gogontle Basiami is the visionary behind Bloom Sanitary Pads, a proudly 100% youth-owned Botswana company under BotsCrest Holdings (PTY) LTD. Based in Selibe-Phikwe, Bloom is more than just a sanitary pad manufacturer as it’s a mission-driven brand focused on making menstruation comfortable, affordable, and dignified for women across Southern Africa.
The idea for Bloom was born from Gogontle’s proposal during the CEDA/DBSA University Challenge in 2017, where he made it to the Top 10 with a concept centred on using local raw materials to produce sanitary pads. That spark grew into a full-fledged business that now champions quality, accessibility and empowerment.
Bloom Sanitary Pads has just recently successfully supplied its first consignment of its products that will go into the Government’s free sanitary pads initiative. As the leading manufacturer of sanitary pads in the country, they were able to supply 50,000 packs towards launch and did so in a record time of the 3 days.
Source: Batswana Entrepreneurs Facebook page & https://rb.gy/9b381q
