02/09/2026
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Botswana Prison Service continues to engage partners in initiatives that demonstrate the importance of strategic partnerships in equipping prisoners with practical skills that can support rehabilitation, entrepreneurship and successful reintegration into their communities.
The partnership between the Botswana Prison Service and SeedCo Botswana continues to bear fruit, with prisoners benefiting from training and skills development aimed at supporting their rehabilitation and successful reintegration into society.
On 3 September 2026, SeedCo Botswana commenced a three-day workshop aimed at equipping prisoners with knowledge and practical skills in seedling production and nursery management at Molepolole Prison. The training seeks to empower participants with skills that can benefit them after completing their sentences.
Officially opening the training, Botswana Prison Service Deputy Commissioner, Keneilwe Mokwenaotsile, encouraged prisoners to take the training seriously and actively engage with the facilitators to maximise the theoretical and practical knowledge being shared.
DCP Mokwenaotsile said the skills acquired could assist prisoners in planning their lives beyond incarceration, including establishing their own nurseries, engaging in seedling production or forming cooperatives that could create opportunities for entrepreneurship.
She further encouraged participants to explore different avenues for starting their businesses, whether individually, through partnerships, with financial assistance from financial institutions, or by forming cooperatives within their communities.
To demonstrate the potential of the skills being imparted, DCP Mokwenaotsile shared the success story of a young man from Mmadinare Village who is reportedly supplying seedlings to community members, businesses and individual farmers in the area.
βThe young man is a nursery and seedling production king,β she said.
DCP Mokwenaotsile urged prisoners to embrace the training, emphasising that they are the primary beneficiaries of the partnership between BPS and SeedCo Botswana, which seeks to contribute to positive change in their lives.
She also applauded SeedCo Botswana and its technical team for their strategic partnership and contribution towards making the training possible. She noted that the knowledge and expertise gained through such initiatives would contribute significantly to rehabilitation efforts.
DCP Mokwenaotsile further revealed that participants would receive certificates upon completion of the training, providing formal recognition of the skills and knowledge acquired.
Giving an overview of the training objectives, SeedCo Marketing Officer, Ms Keneilwe Kanyane, said participants would be equipped with practical skills intended to positively impact their lives.
The training covers areas such as nursery establishment and sanitation, seed selection and media preparation, nursery site and seedbed establishment, seedling care and hardening. Participants will also undertake practical sessions to strengthen their understanding of nursery management and seedling production.
The training is being facilitated by SeedCo Technical Facilitator and Agronomist, Ms Lorato Malatsi.
Among those present during the official opening were SACP Boitshepo Nfila and ACP Kabo Kgalaga
