Nnaniki Wilhemina Tebogo Makwinja

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Nnaniki Wilhemina Tebogo Makwinja
Member of the
National Assembly of Botswana
for Lentsweletau-Mmopane
Assumed office
2019
Preceded byVincent Seretse
Personal details
Political partyBotswana Democratic Party
Alma materUniversity of Essex (BA)

Nnaniki Wilhemina Tebogo Makwinja is a Botswanan politician who has served in the National Assembly of Botswana since 2019. A member of the Botswana Democratic Party, she represents the Lentsweletau-Mmopane constituency. Makwinja has also served as the assistant minister for basic education since 2019.

Biography[edit]

Makwinja attended the University of Essex in England, graduating with a bachelor's degree in sociology and social policy in 1986.[1][non-primary source needed] After graduating, she began working in the field of human resources management in Botswana. In 1986, she became a human resources employee at Debswana Mining Company, eventually becoming the company's manager for industrial communications and manpower development. After brief tenures with several companies in the 2000s, including a position as head of human resources at a hospital, Makwinja became acting CEO of the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre in 2012. In 2014, she began working at a human resources consulting firm called Leadex Consulting.[2][3]

A member of the Botswana Democratic Party, Makwinja ran for the National Assembly of Botswana in the 2014 election, running in the Gabane-Mmankgodi constituency. However, she was defeated in the party primary. She ran for parliament again in the 2019 election, running in the Lentsweletau-Mmopane constituency. Though the initial vote-tally in the primary showed her losing to incumbent Vincent Seretse by just 45 votes, Makwinja called for a recount, claiming there were "irregularities" with the election. She was announced the winner of the primary following the recount.[4][5] Makwinja won the general election, defeating three other candidates with 11,600 votes; her nearest opponent, the Umbrella for Democratic Change candidate, received 5,320 votes.[6] She was one of only three female MPs elected in the 2019 election.[7]

Following her election, Makwinja was appointed Assistant Minister of Basic Education by President Mokgweetsi Masisi.[8] In this role, she oversees Botswana's primary and secondary education systems. She has faced several challenges during her tenure, including an outbreak of "mass hysteria" at a school in Salajwe in 2019,[9] a textbook shortage in 2021,[10] and the reformation of the country's curricula.[11] Makwinja is also an advocate for digitization.[12]

While in parliament, Makwinja has been an advocate for Asian investment into Botswana, supporting the establishment of Chinese-run farms and care facilities in her district,[13][14] and backing Japanese partnership in the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS program.[15] She is also a prominent supporter of efforts to counter violence against women in Botswana, arguing that in addition to the moral implications, gender-based violence was leading to a loss in productivity. In 2022, she was a speaker at a conference organized by the United Nations Population Fund and the Southern African Development Community on improving sexual and reproductive health and rights.[16]

Makwinja is one of Botswana's delegates to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, serving on the Committee on Middle East Questions.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Makwinja, Nnaniki (2013). "Dear Class". Academia.edu. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  2. ^ "Annual Report 2014: Our Present. Our Future" (PDF). Botswana Investment and Trade Centre: 18. 2014.
  3. ^ "BITC struggling to secure CEO". Botswana Guardian Sun. 2012-12-07. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  4. ^ Selatlhwa, Innocent (2018-09-10). "Makwinja Savours Sweet Victory". Mmegi. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  5. ^ "Lentsweletau-Mmopane". Parliament of Botswana. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  6. ^ Report to the Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration on the 2019 General Elections (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission Botswana. 2019. p. 44.
  7. ^ "Botswana's Political Field is Bereft of Women – IEC". The Botswana Gazette. 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  8. ^ Magosi, Elias M. (2019). "Press Release: Cabinet Appointments" (PDF). Government of Botswana. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  9. ^ "Botswana battles outbreak of rare mass hysteria disease". Club of Mozambique. January 22, 2020. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  10. ^ Ramadubu, Dikarabo (February 11, 2021). "MoBE blames students for shortage of books". Botswana Guardian. Retrieved May 19, 2023 – via PressReader.
  11. ^ "Curriculum reform is envisaged to be implemented in 2021". The Parrot News Online. 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  12. ^ "CSEdBotswana Lays Foundation for Botswana's Reset Agenda and Digitization Strategy". University of Botswana. March 30, 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  13. ^ "Ambassador Wang Xuefeng Attends Warm Winter Charity Donation". Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Botswana. May 20, 2021. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  14. ^ "Petani China dorong masyarakat Botswana tanam pokok kelor" [Chinese farmers encourage the people of Botswana to plant moringa trees]. Media Permata (in Malay). 2021-06-01. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  15. ^ "Ambassador of Japan to Botswana Officially Hands Over Community Legal Service Centre to BONELA" (PDF). Embassy of Japan in Botswana. May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  16. ^ Rabasimane, Priscilla (July 5, 2022). "Parliamentarians Reaffirm Commitment to Advancing SRHR for those furthest left behind | United Nations in Botswana". United Nations Population Fund. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  17. ^ "Celebrating 10 women MPs who are active on IPU committees". Inter-Parliamentary Union. March 2, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
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