According to multiple sources, Botswana Digital & Innovation Hub acting CEO Tshepo Tsheko will not be assuming the position permanently and is on his way out. This follows a disagreement between the BD&IH board of directors and a certain shareholder on the permanency of Tsheko's role.
Tsheko had been acting CEO for almost two years after taking over from former CEO Alan Boshwaen in 2021 who had been at the helm of the institution for ten years since its launch in 2011. Tsheko previously served as Director of Marketing and Partnerships at the hub.
Sources further tell BW TechZone that following a boardroom row which saw an unnamed shareholder blocking the BD&IH board's recommendation for the permanent appointment of Tsheko as CEO, he decided it was time to call it quits and consider other external offers.
The decision on the now vacant position will be arrived at following an engagement with the Minister of Tertiary Education Research Science and Technology who oversees the hub, sources further add.
As acting CEO, Tsheko oversaw the rebranding of Botswana Innovation Hub to Botswana Digital & Innovation Hub in 2021.
At the time, Tsheko stated that the rebrand aimed to align the organization with the requirements needed for implementing Botswana's Fourth Industrial Revolution Digital Transformation Strategy (SmartBots), an action plan that aims to deliver a smart and sustainable society for the country by digitalizing the public sector for more efficient service delivery.
The rebranded organization would have a renewed focus on the execution of priorities geared towards its mandate of being Africa's innovation leader, fostering high-tech businesses and commercializing ideas for sustainable economic growth, all with the aim of supporting the national innovation ecosystem to enhance Botswana's global competitiveness, added Tsheko.