Lesego Chombo and Lucara Botswana build Molepolole youth hub

A new youth hub just got signed into existence, and Molepolole is about to become the testing ground.

Deal signed with youth in mind

• The Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs teamed up with Lucara Botswana.
• A Memorandum of Understanding was locked in plans for a youth centre.
• Molepolole is where this experiment officially starts.

Why is this centre happening

• The space is meant to pull young people away from idleness.
• Crime, substance abuse, and gender-based violence sit high on the problem list.
• Skills development and social connection are the counterplay.

The government made the partnership pitch

• Thapelo Phuthego spelled it out during the signing.
• The government cannot carry every aspiration on its own.
• Private-sector partnerships were framed as survival, not luxury.
• Youth vulnerability was acknowledged without downplaying their value.

Lucara leaned into legacy talk

• Naseem Lahri doubled down on intentional impact.
• The company positioned the MoU as more than box-ticking.
• Community and national benefit were both part of the promise.

The minister set expectations clearly

• Lesego Chombo thanked Lucara for stepping up.
• She challenged Molepolole youth to actually use the centre.
• Skills, direction, confidence, and resilience were named as goals.
• Recreation was framed as secondary to crime and substance reduction.

Why Molepolole was chosen

• Population size played a role.
• Crime and gender-based violence statistics mattered.
• The location was described as strategic, not random.

Bigger plan already loading

• The Ministry signaled more centres countrywide.
• Inclusivity across gender and vulnerable groups was emphasized.
• Molepolole is being treated as the blueprint.

What this partnership signals

• Public and private sectors are sharing responsibility.
• Youth empowerment is being framed as prevention, not charity.
• The centre is positioned as a long-term community anchor.