Women in Engineering

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Women in Engineering

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Keynote Speaker

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Hon. Bogolo Joy Kenewendo

Minister of Minerals and Energy

Bogolo Joy Kenewendo is an economic diplomacy professional whose 15-year career spans trade & investment, finance & development, and public policy. She currently serves as the Minister of Minerals and Energy in Botswana, where she is leading efforts to strengthen energy security, promote sustainable resource management, and position Botswana as a key player in the global energy transition.

Kenewendo previously served as a Specially Elected Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry in Botswana, where she stimulated investment, reformed Botswana’s doing business environment, and negotiated key trade agreements as the Chairperson of the Southern Africa Customs Union Council of Ministers of Trade. Her work included the European Union Economic Partnership Agreement, the United Kingdom Post-Brexit Agreement, and the African Continental Free Trade Area, among others.

She most recently played a global role in climate action and sustainable finance, serving as Special Advisor to the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions. In this capacity, she and her team, in collaboration with partners, helped launch several high-impact initiatives such as the USD 20 billion UN Compendium of Climate Action Projects, the Africa Carbon Market Initiative, the Working Group for Sustainability-linked Sovereign Financing of Nature and Climate, the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance, and the Africa Climate Risk Insurance Facility for Adaptation.

Kenewendo serves on various corporate and philanthropic boards, including as Chairperson of Bank Gaborone, Non-Executive Director of the Africa Free Trade Area Adjustment Fund Corporation, and the Africa Center for Economic Transformation. She has also contributed to global governance as a member of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation, the Advisory Group on the Gender Architecture of the UN, and the Financing for Development group.

She is a member of the World Economic Forum Trade Advisory Group, the Global Future Council on Global Public Goods in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and is a WEF Young Global Leader. Additionally, she is a Non-Resident Fellow with the Center for Global Development.

Kenewendo has been frequently recognized among Africa’s Most Influential People by various publications. In 2022, she was named among Time magazine’s TIME100 Next Honorees, recognizing 100 emerging leaders shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership.