Botswana Green Building Council (BotswanaGBC) is the latest addition to the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) network. Beginning their journey as Prospective members, they bring green building practices to the Africa region. By 2050, Africa will be home to 1.1 billion more people than it is today. That’s nearly 75% of the world’s projected population growth of 1.5 billion more people. This means a huge demand for buildings – with 80 percent of those that will exist in 2050, yet to be built.
BotswanaGBC is a partnership-led green building council established and committed to bringing cross-sectoral stakeholders together towards the growth of sustainable built environments for everyone, everywhere, in Botswana through the BotswanaGBC Strategic Framework 2023-2027. The BotswanaGBC Strategic Framework is the outcome of continuous research and engagement undertaken by the GBC throughout 2022. It has been informed and shaped by the knowledge and experience of the networks, key stakeholders, and strategic partners. Their goal is to promote, facilitate and enable the green building transformation agenda improving the quality of inclusive, equitable human settlements within Botswana by 2030.
WorldGBC defines Prospective Green Building Council (GBC) membership as bringing together key representatives from different parts of the building sector within a country and creating a founding group, who will initially lead the design and implementation of the GBC’s governance and business plan.
Vere Shaba, Programmes Head for Africa Region, WorldGBC, said:
“Having worked with BotswanaGBC since 2014, it is an honour to welcome them to the WorldGBC Africa Regional Network. The strategic objectives of BotswanaGBC were developed in line with the African Manifesto for Sustainable Cities and the Built Environment and the World Green Building Council Strategic Plan 2020-2022.
“We are greatly looking forward to the leadership, perspective and expertise which they will bring to our network in Southern Africa and to the WorldGBC Africa Regional Network. The Africa region is set to be critical for the growth of green building globally over the next few years. They join our network at a time when COP27, also termed the African COP, is throwing a light on the region and highlighting both the challenges and opportunities it faces.”
Tebogo “Tebby” Modisagape, President of Botswana Green Building Council, said:
“Botswana government and the private sector have committed to supporting BotswanaGBC’s mission, to advance sustainability in Botswana’s building industry through advocacy, capacity building, certification, monitoring and evaluation, research and innovation, pilot projects and demonstrations. Our aim is to have high performance buildings and to drive the adoption of green buildings in Botswana, as a lever towards inclusive and sustainable human settlements that leaves no one behind.”
Dr Thandi Katlholo, Vice President of Botswana Green Building Council, said:
“I recently joined the BotGBC Executive Committee in my capacity as an Interim Vice President. I joined the green building movement because I wanted to implement the sustainability principles that I know in the built environment. My portfolio involves advocating for policy and behavioural change to improve health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations. I like the idea that BotswanaGBC becoming a member of WorldGBC means that we can all bring about small changes to benefit the health and wellbeing for the population of Botswana, nationally, regionally and globally. The lessons and the strategies I learnt converge with the WorldGBC’s Health & Wellbeing Framework which we hope to roll out as part of the BotswanaGBC Strategic Framework 2023-2027.”
BotswanaGBC joins WorldGBC’s Africa Regional Network of 12 Green Building Councils.