Botswana Minister of Higher Education and employers come together to celebrate AAT achievement

AAT’s Achievement Ceremony event brought together government officials and business leaders to celebrate the success of AAT students and members in Botswana on 3 April 2025.   

Botswana’s Minister of Higher Education, Honourable Prince Maele, delivered a keynote speech at the opening of the ceremony to outline the value of AAT qualifications and to celebrate the success of recent completers. Maele highlighted the government’s recognition of the value awarding organisations can bring to help secure youth employment and praised AAT qualifications for providing technical and vocational education and training.  

Maele was joined by AAT representatives, including AAT Past President, Heather Hill, and Executive Director of Customer, Partnerships, and Innovation, Claire Bennison, to celebrate local success. The ceremony also included panel discussions led by local employers to offer valuable insight on boosting employability.  

Former Botswanan Branch Chairman wins prestigious Past President Award 

The winner of AAT’s coveted Past President Award, which is contested internationally, went to Botswana’s Carbolic Moroka. Moroka started as a trainee with PwC before joining AAT a year later and serving as Treasurer, Vice Chairman, and mostly recently Branch Chairman of AAT’s Botswana branch. Now, Moroka runs a small accounting firm that actively supports AAT students, including hiring many AAT graduates. 

During his tenure on the branch, he implemented initiatives that boosted member engagement and improved the quality of education for local AAT students. As chair of the branch Carbolic established a committee in Francistown to support students in Northern Botswana, strengthening AAT’s presence in the region. He was presented with the award by Past President of AAT, Heather Hill, who commended Moroka’s dedication to providing opportunities for AAT students to excel in their studies and careers. 

AAT internships aim to address employment challenges  

The ceremony follows AAT’s work with local employers to provide career support for young people. This comes against a backdrop of significant unemployment with official statistics showing a 38.2% unemployment rate for 15–35-year-olds in 2024.  

The AAT Internships for Botswanan Youth programme, which took in its first group of recruits in January, is transforming access to professional services careers in Botswana at a critical time for the region given the high unemployment. The programme aims to provide practical routes to employment by providing valuable experience and skills to open career pathways.  

The programme involves participants working alongside colleagues from leading professional services firms to gain valuable hands-on experience. This includes a three-week placement for current accountancy students and a six-week programme for recent graduates. 

Two of the employers involved in the programme, Grant Thornton and Forvis Mazars, were represented on a panel discussion at the Achievement Ceremony that offered insight into the value of AAT qualifications for strengthening employability. 

Claire Bennison, Executive Director of Customer, Innovation, and Partnerships, said: “At AAT, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to unleash their potential through a career that is fulfilling. By combining our real-world ready qualifications with practical workplace experience, we’re helping to do just that."  

"The programme represents a fresh, partnership-based approach to addressing youth unemployment in Botswana. Forvis Mazars and Grant Thornton, both with local roots and global reach, are the first to partner with AAT to deliver the scheme.”