How a Young Entrepreneur’s Poultry Business is Hatching Success in Botswana
This International Youth Day, we’re featuring a young entrepreneur in Botswana who is using the skills she gained in a TechnoServe program to build a thriving poultry business from the ground up.
In the small town of Bobonong in eastern Botswana, 30-year-old Golebilemang Kgosintwa meticulously tends to her flock of 500 laying hens. Each morning, after helping her two children get ready for school, she walks to her poultry house to collect the fresh eggs. Once collected, she carefully packages them for her eager customers and begins her deliveries. While TeeGee Poultry is now a thriving business, just a few years ago, it was merely a dream.
Like many young people in Botswana, Golebilemang faced significant barriers to economic opportunity. Unemployed and struggling to provide for her family, her future seemed uncertain. Despite substantial economic growth in Botswana in recent years, job creation has lagged, and unemployment is at nearly 26%. Entrepreneurship offers a pathway out of poverty for many young people who don’t have access to formal jobs.
Enterprise Development Training from TechnoServe
In May 2023, Golebilemang joined a TechnoServe program working with young people in her community. Tokafala is an enterprise development program that focuses on helping existing micro, small, and medium enterprises in Botswana grow their businesses. It is a collaboration between the Government of Botswana, Debswana, De Beers Group, and Anglo American. Since 2014, the program has helped 1,310 entrepreneurs develop the business, financial management, and marketing skills they need to build successful and sustainable businesses.
“Before TechnoServe, I was unemployed and could not find a job,” Golebilemang recalled. “I depended on my parents to help with the kids. I was worried about providing for my children and if we would be able to have our own home.”
Her story echoes the experiences of many women entrepreneurs across Africa, who often struggle to access capital and resources needed to start businesses. However, programs like TechnoServe are changing the landscape for aspiring business owners on the continent. The path to financial independence can be especially difficult for young women. But Golebilemang refused to let her age or circumstances define her future.
Supporting Women-led Businesses in Africa
“I started with 300 layers,” Golebilemang explained, referring to chickens raised for egg production. She now has 500 layers. “TechnoServe taught me so many valuable skills, such as how to keep proper business records, manage finances, and, most importantly, how to effectively market my products and interact with customers.”
Armed with this new knowledge, Golebilemang’s small poultry operation began to flourish. She put the training into practice, meticulously tracking her expenses and revenue while building relationships with a growing base of loyal customers. Since implementing these new practices, she’s seen a five-fold increase in revenue.
“I got so excited when I saw the training starting to work,” she shared. “The skills and knowledge I acquired started bringing more clients. I was able to get the clients to agree with my pricing. It gave me the courage to expand my business more.”
The impact extends beyond just material goods. Golebilemang’s success has shifted the dynamics in her household and community. Her husband is supportive and excited about her growing business. “My uncle even calls me ‘the Director’ now,” she laughed. “He says we finally have a director in our family.”
Empowering Other Youth Through Enterprise Development
Golebilemang is also setting a powerful example for other young people in her community. “The perception has greatly changed,” she noted. “Ever since I started my business, I have met with a lot of young women who have also found interest in starting their own businesses. Their husbands are supporting them too, seeing that I am able to do it.”
Golebilemang takes her role as a young trailblazer seriously. “The impact from Tokafala has helped me to help others manage their businesses,” she explained. “I’ve been able to assist with issues regarding record-keeping and attracting customers. I was also able to help other youth to get involved with this entrepreneurship program.”
Her influence starts at home. Golebilemang is already cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit in her two young children, ages 6 and 3. “We usually bring them to the poultry house so that they learn that employment is not the only source of income,” she said. “You can also create your own employment—employ others and yourself.”
A Bright Future
Looking to the future, Golebilemang has ambitious plans for growth. “I’m hoping to increase the business capacity, add more layers, and purchase our own machine that produces egg trays to cut the high cost of packaging,” she shared. “I also want to connect water from the borehole directly to the poultry house to improve efficiency.”
On a personal level, her dreams are expanding, too. “I want to invest in property and buy my dream car.” Once seemingly out of reach, these aspirations now feel attainable thanks to her thriving business.
Golebilemang’s story is a testament to the transformative power of targeted business training and support. Her experience exemplifies the mission of TechnoServe’s Tokafala program—to empower Botswana’s young entrepreneurs, particularly women, to build thriving businesses that create economic opportunities for themselves and their communities.
As the sun sets in Bobonong, Golebilemang closes up the poultry house, her mind already on tomorrow’s tasks and future expansions. The journey is just beginning—and the future looks brighter than ever.
