Serufho aims for change on familiar ground
Recently appointed Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) chief executive officer (CEO), Tuelo Serufho is on a mission to turn around the fortunes of sport.
Serufho returns to the BNSC on a four-year contract after being recruited from the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC). He brings a wealth of experience to the commission, which has been going through trying times.
He signed his contract after acting for six months until the end of May. So he is already abreast of what he is stepping into. He is aware of the dwindling grant from the government, the unfinished restructuring exercise, dilapidating infrastructure, and challenges with staff retention, among others.
Serufho told Mmegi Sport that he is excited to be back at the BNSC after his earlier stint.
“I have immensely enjoyed my time at the BNOC and as such, I am sad to be leaving my local and international Olympic family. The consolation is that I remain in sport, our paths should continue to cross,” he said.
Serufho said the BNSC now gives him a greater opportunity to influence policy.
“I have always been a proponent of change and now I have the opportunity to lead the change. With such change, we should see not only Botswana performing better but also impacting the lives of Batswana better than it was ever done in the past,” he said.
Restructuring is said to be one of the first assignments on his table and Serufho said he was ready to implement restructuring recommendations.
However, he has to wait until the State of Emergency is over in September. He said for now the only separations that are possible are those for employees whose contracts are ending soon.
Regarding the size of the secretariat, with repetitive roles for some officers, Serufho said the restructuring exercise would rationalise all positions in the BNSC structure.
Calls have been rife that the BNSC should change its funding model of National Sport Associations (NSA). Serufho said they are changing the approach to funding effective this financial year.
“We are not just going to follow historical patterns but look at the return on our investment (ROI). The ROI would be measured through a variety of ways that include access, performance, economic impact, social impact, particularly by women and people with disabilities etc,” Serufho said.
He said he wants to position sport to better contribute to event-based tourism and by extension, diversification of the economy, to ensure that “we only put our money where the real returns are, such that there is true value for money”.
Serufho explained he wants to reset their approach in sport towards placing greater emphasis on structured development, including well-defined athletes pathways.
He said the plan is to get more Batswana active such that they do not only achieve sport goals, but even others, such as those of health. He said the plan is to also improve accountability and general governance within sport.