The pintsized giant Reginald Selelo sleeps

A life gone too soon

Death - that ominous thief constantly lurking in the dark - has robbed Botswana of one of its multitalented young men whose mission was to reshape our future.

Reginald Tebogo Selelo, Botswana Investment and Trade Centre ( BITC)’ s Chief Operations Officer was an international trade and investment economic expert.

He was tasked with facilitating investment into the country. Ask anyone to describe Selelo or how committed he was, the response will be very simple. He was a robust, sharp, and intelligent individual with a work ethic second to none.

A statement from his office indicates that Selelo worked for several institutions among them USAID Southern Africa Trade Hub, the US Government Economic Growth Office, the Southern African Customs Union ( SACU) Secretariat in Windhoek, Namibia, and Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority ( BEDIA).

His professional experience spanned over 18 years. Selelo’s key areas of expertise included Investment Policy Development, Investment and Export Promotion, International Trade Law, trade negotiations, regional trade agreements, industrial policy, business advisory service, and trade policy.

He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Trade Law and Policy Management from the University of Cape Town, a Master of Arts Degree in Economics and a first- class Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics both obtained from the University of Botswana.

Additionally, the Mahalapye native, who lost a father in his youth, participated in the University of Oxford’s prestigious Oxford Advanced Leadership and Management Programme ( OAMLP).

My fondest memory of him is from last year when BITC organised a virtual forum dubbed the PushaBW initiative.

It was a campaign launched to rally Batswana to make conscious decisions to buy locally- produced goods and services.

The campaign is also aimed at improving the productive capacity of local producers, which contributes to the creation of employment opportunities, as well as encourages retail stores to carry locally produced goods.

Reggie was a devoted husband and father of three children - two girls and one boy. Reggie was also a devout member of the Roman Catholic Church and contributed his time and resources to the various committees in the church.

May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace