In the quiet village of Molalatau, Botswana, a young boy observed his parents and grandfather in their small businesses, including his mother’s bakery and his grandfather’s bricklaying. These early experiences sparked his connection to entrepreneurship, setting the stage for a future where he would inspire not just his home country but all of Africa.
“My name is Mompoloki Makwana,” he introduces himself humbly, though his journey is far from ordinary. Born and raised in Molalatau, Botswana, Mompoloki’s early exposure to home-run businesses profoundly influenced his career trajectory. Yet, growing up, his ambitions took a different direction. He was captivated by the law and aspired to be a lawyer, spending much of his time studying Botswana’s penal code and educating his peers.
It wasn’t until his teenage years, particularly during his senior school years, that his life took a different turn. “I can remember one of the books from the top of my head being The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” he recalls. “And that book changed the way I looked at things and I started having this interest in becoming a speaker or just a motivational speaker.”
This newfound passion led him to initiate motivational engagements at school and university. As he moved through his educational journey, his focus shifted from law to the power of communication and leadership. Mompoloki went on to become a student leader at university, and soon after, his path led him to a significant milestone—becoming a radio personality.
“I proposed a segment called ‘Empowering Your Vision,'” he recalls. “It was the launching pad for my career, because they agreed, and I was doing a radio segment every Tuesday for more than seven years now.”
From Radio Waves to Transforming Workplaces
His radio segment was just the beginning. As Mompoloki’s motivational speaking gained traction, he saw an opportunity to reach more people. “People were calling me day in and day out,” he shares. “Now they want me to motivate their students at schools, they want me to motivate teachers, they want me to motivate their employees.”
Eventually, he turned these services into a formal business: Prime Coaching, which became his first entrepreneurial venture. The success of Prime Coaching was not only due to the need for motivation but because it was backed by his experiences, which continued to shape his personal and professional growth.
A defining moment came when he joined the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and later the Mandela Washington Fellowship. “That was a game changer for me,” he reflects. “The connections and knowledge gained through these programs gave me the tools to evolve from a solo entrepreneur into a leader with a growing business, employing a team that could expand my influence even further.”
A Journey of Writing: Empowering Through Books
Alongside his speaking engagements and business ventures, Mompoloki began to pour his thoughts and experiences into writing. His first book, The Birth of Greatness, was a reflection of his journey, and it quickly became a local bestseller, selling over 800 copies. “The book is about understanding your unique value, your potential,” he explains. “It’s about realizing that greatness doesn’t come from external validation—it comes from within.”
Mompoloki’s passion for writing didn’t stop there. He followed up with Embrace Your Greatness, a work that encouraged people to embrace their unique talents and use them to create wealth. “Embrace Your Greatness means you have talent, you have potential,” he explains. “Embrace it, and serve with it.”
Next, he wrote What Amazing Employees Do, a book targeted at employees, providing guidance on how to excel within their roles. “I wanted to help employees understand that personal excellence in the workplace leads to organizational success,” Mompoloki shares. “This book gives them the tools to thrive, not just survive.”
Building on his expertise in team dynamics, he penned Team Building Guide for Workplace Effectiveness, a practical guide for organizations to enhance teamwork and organizational culture. “Great teams don’t just happen. They need intentional development, and that’s what this book offers,” he notes.
Most recently, Mompoloki authored Personal Leadership for Teenagers, a book aimed at helping young people develop leadership skills early in life. “The earlier we teach teenagers about personal leadership, the better they will be at navigating the world and contributing meaningfully to society,” he says. Each of these books represents a step in his journey, enabling him to connect with a broader audience and offer solutions to real-life challenges faced by students, employees, and business leaders alike.
Employee Africa: A New Vision for African Workforce Transformation
The next chapter in Mompoloki’s entrepreneurial journey came with the founding of Employee Africa, a company he co-founded with his wife. “With all the services we’ve been offering, we decided to focus on a market that we could serve fully,” he says. “And our decision was employees, employees, employees.”
Employee Africa focuses on empowering and transforming the workforce through a multi-faceted approach. The company offers several services, including the Employee Africa Magazine, which provides research, insights, and celebrates successful business leaders across Africa. “We wanted to provide a platform where African businesses could share their success stories and challenges, to inspire others,” Mompoloki shares.
The Employee Africa Summit, which brings together more than 500 business leaders annually to discuss the future of work, productivity, and leadership, has become one of Africa’s premier platforms for workforce-related discussions. “The summit is more than just an event—it’s a movement,” he says with conviction. “It’s about gathering like-minded individuals who are ready to drive the change we need in Africa.”
The company also runs the Employee Africa Development Centre, which offers continuous learning and development services for professionals across the continent. “Professional development is the key to unlocking potential in employees and businesses,” he explains. “This is why we are committed to providing training that truly makes a difference.”
Notably, Makwana’s commitment to environmental sustainability also shines through in Employee Africa’s Tree Planting Initiative, which has seen over 1,500 trees planted in Botswana’s communities. “We are teaching people the importance of taking care of the environment,” Mompoloki shares. “It’s not just about business; it’s about giving back to the community and the planet.”
Adapting to a Changing Landscape
As the business landscape continues to evolve, Mompoloki has embraced the challenges of globalization. “We are empowering our employees to think globally,” he says. “It’s crucial for them to understand that the future of work is interconnected, and we want them to be ready for global opportunities.”
By transitioning the Employee Africa Magazine to a digital format, the company has significantly expanded its reach, with readers now downloading issues from countries like Zambia and South Africa. “The digital shift has opened up new avenues for us,” he adds. “We’re now able to reach more people and provide valuable insights to a larger audience.”
Mompoloki is also acutely aware of the need to continuously adapt and innovate in order to stay ahead of the curve. “We are consistently refining our value proposition,” he says, underscoring the importance of evolving services to meet the changing needs of clients. “Our ability to innovate is what sets us apart, and it’s what will help us continue to thrive.”
Overcoming Challenges: The Power of Strategic Partnerships
Like many entrepreneurs, Mompoloki has faced his share of challenges, particularly when it comes to funding. “Funding has been one of the challenges,” he admits. “But we’ve learned to overcome that by building strategic partnerships across Africa.” Instead of seeking large-scale funding upfront, he focused on forming partnerships with organizations that could provide the necessary resources and support to expand the reach of Employee Africa’s initiatives.
“Partnerships have been key to our growth,” he explains. “We’ve been able to leverage these relationships to move forward and make a bigger impact.”
Looking Ahead
Looking toward the future, Mompoloki remains optimistic about the impact his work will have on the African workforce. “We are excited as a business to offer solutions on how people can prepare themselves to offer value,” he says. As globalization continues to shape the way business is done, he remains committed to being a bridge between African employees and the opportunities that lie ahead.
The third annual Employee Africa Summit, set for June 2025, will focus on the theme of “Empowering Workforce Resilience,” and Mompoloki is eager to continue facilitating important conversations about navigating change and innovation in the workforce. “Resilience is the key to success in the future of work,” he emphasizes. “We’re focused on helping individuals and organizations become more adaptable, more resilient, and more ready to seize the opportunities of tomorrow.”
Mompoloki Makwana’s journey from a small village in Botswana to a recognized leader in the African workforce development sector is a testament to the power of perseverance, adaptability, and a commitment to personal growth. “Greatness doesn’t happen overnight,” he says. “It’s birthed through continuous learning, embracing opportunities, and, most importantly, serving others with unwavering dedication.”
