Last week, Banana Club, in partnership with People + Gap, convened the Economic Inclusion Programme Roundtable in Gaborone.

The closed-door engagement brought together leaders from government, finance, corporate Botswana, civil society, disability advocacy, and the creative economy to explore how Botswana can strengthen economic participation, productivity, and inclusive growth.

People + Gap is a Botswana-based consultancy specialising in people-centred research, strategy, facilitation, and organisational development. Their expertise in stakeholder engagement and systems thinking helped guide a thoughtful discussion on the barriers and opportunities shaping economic participation in Botswana today.

The roundtable forms part of Banana Club’s Economic Inclusion Programme, a long-term initiative exploring how inclusive participation can contribute to sustainable economic growth while expanding access to opportunity for historically underserved communities.

Participants identified several groups that continue to face barriers to economic participation, including persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ communities, elderly populations, and indigenous communities. Discussions also highlighted the need for stronger metrics to measure inclusion, more locally grounded approaches to policy and programming, and greater collaboration across sectors.

A recurring theme throughout the day was that meaningful economic inclusion is fundamentally about access — access to employment, entrepreneurship, capital, information, networks, and decision-making spaces.

The insights generated from the roundtable will inform future research, stakeholder engagement, and the continued development of Banana Club’s Economic Inclusion Programme.

Banana Club extends its gratitude to all participants and to People + Gap for their partnership in facilitating this important conversation.