News

Botswana’s cultural and linguistic heritage has found a new digital champion in WetheMBA, the interactive app designed to preserve and educate users about the country’s diverse ethnicities, languages, cultures and traditions. The innovation claimed the P150,000 grand prize at the UNDP UNiPOD Botswana Go-To-Market Accelerator 2025, held on the 28th of November 2025.

The event marked the culmination of a 12-week programme in which early-stage innovators refined their business models, validated market needs and prepared their concepts for commercialisation. The Accelerator, funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), supports the operationalisation of the UNiPOD’s innovation ecosystem.

Xaxaba Pharmaceutical, which develops remedies using indigenous plants and traditional knowledge, secured second place with P70,000 while Mosquito Repellent Salts earned P40,000 for third place.

Opening the event, UNiPOD Botswana Director, Professor Richie Moalosi, said the ceremony marked “the beginning of a new chapter for the innovators,” applauding their progress in understanding market dynamics, pricing strategies and customer needs. He urged the participants to carry their ideas forward through collaboration and investment.

UNDP Programme Specialist for Economic Diversification and Inclusive Growth, Mr Johnson T. Maiketso, emphasised the initiative’s importance in addressing youth unemployment and strengthening innovation-driven development. He highlighted the need for partnerships in development planning to ensure prototypes evolved into impactful market-ready solutions.

Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, Professor Doreen Ramogola-Masire, noted that such initiatives aligned with national efforts to shift from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based one. Dr Ramogola-Masire congratulated the innovators and thanked partners for supporting the UNiPOD’s mission. “This is the engine of what we want to achieve and it would not be possible without you,” she said.

The Go-To-Market Accelerator concluded with renewed optimism that Botswana’s young innovators were ready to take their ideas from concept to commercial success.