The late Linah Elebogile Mohohlo was not only a leading figure in Botswana’s policy making and financial establishment, but globally recognised for her contributions to international development.
Mohohlo studied accounting and business, economics, finance and investments at the University of Botswana (BOLESWA), George Washington University and later University of Exeter, and received executive management training from Yale University.
She became a member of the Bank of Botswana in 1976, where she distinguished herself in foreign reserve management and monetary policy. After a two-year stint as Deputy Governor, she became the longest-serving Governor of the Bank of Botswana, a position she held from 1999-2016.
Under her direction, the Bank of Botswana attempted to keep inflation low while simultaneously managing the Pula’s devaluation to keep it within range of the cratering South African Rand.
During her tenure as Bank Governor, Mohohlo won numerous awards and served on the board of a host of international agencies and advisory panels, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a Special Appointee and as a member of the International Monetary and Financial Committee, representing the Africa.
She was also a member of the Africa Progress Panel a group of ten individuals who advocate for equitable and sustainable development in Africa.
In 2002 she was appointed as an “Eminent Person” by then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, charged with the responsibility of overseeing the evaluation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s.
She also served as a member of the Commission for Africa that was chaired by the former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair; the Commission’s Report, “Our Common Interest”, was published in 2005.
In 2015, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Mohohlo as member of the High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing, an initiative aimed at preparing recommendations for the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit.
This year she was also appointed to the World Health Organization’s Council on the Economics of Health For All.
At the time of her death she was also a member of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Committee on Financial Services for the poor.
Since 2017, Mohohlo served as Chancellor of the University of Botswana and the first ever woman to occupy the position. MHSRIP