Ponatshego Honorius Kefaeng Kedikilwe (born 7 July 1938) is a Motswana politician who was

Vice-President of Botswana The vice-president of Botswana is the second-highest executive official in the Government of Botswana. The vice-president is appointed by the president among elected members of the National Assembly. The vice-president is the constitutional su ...

from 2012 to 2014. A member of the ruling

Botswana Democratic Party The Botswana Democratic Party (Abbreviation, abbr. BDP, colloquially known as Domkrag) is a centre-right politics, centre-right political party in Botswana. From the country's 1965 Bechuanaland general election, inaugural election in 1965 until th ...

(BDP), he has also served as Minister of Minerals, Energy, and Water Resources since 2007.

Career

Mr Kedikilwe was inaugurated as the founding Vice Chancellor of Botswana Open University (BOU) which was previously Botswana College of Open and Distance Learning (BOCODOL) in 2018. He was also a board member for Sefalana Holdings, joining them in 2014, later becoming the board's chairperson. He retired from the position in 2020.

Political career

Kedikilwe was educated at the Kikuyu College of Social Studies, the

University of East Africa The University of East Africa was established on 29 June 1963"Universities: East Africa", ''A Historical Companion To Postcolonial Thought In English'' (Columbia University Press, 2005) Prem Poddar and David Johnson, eds., p. 489. and served K ...

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

1963–64;

University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...

, NY 1964–65;

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

1965–68;

Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Maxwell School) is the professional public policy school of Syracuse University, a private research university in Syracuse, New York. The school is organized in 11 academic departments and 1 ...

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

. He was first elected to the National Assembly as the Member of Parliament for

Mmadinare Mmadinare is a village in the Central District of Botswana, 15 kilometers from Selibe Phikwe. The village is slowly growing into a town, with a population estimate of about 13 000 (2004 census) people of different tribes including Bangwato, Bat ...

and served from 1984 to 2019. He served as

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

from 1998 to 1999. Kedikilwe served as Chairman of the BDP until 2003. President

Ian Khama Seretse Khama Ian Khama() (born 27 February 1953) is a Motswana politician and former military officer who was the fourth President of the Republic of Botswana from 1 April 2008 to 1 April 2018. After serving as Commander of the Botswana Defenc ...

was elected as

Chairman at a party congress on 22 July 2003, defeating Kedikilwe; Khama received 512 votes against 219 for Kedikilwe."Botswana: Khama win eases Mogae's concerns"
IRIN, 23 July 2003. Khama had been backed for the post by Former President

Festus Mogae Festus Gontebanye Mogae (born 21 August 1939) is a Motswana politician and economist who served as the third President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He succeeded Quett Masire as President in 1998 and was re-elected in October 2004. After ten ...

, and the outcome was viewed as crucial, paving the way for Khama to eventually succeed Mogae as president during that time Kedikilwe was appointed as Minister of Minerals, Energy, and Water Resources in January 2007. Vice-President Mompati Merafhe retired on 31 July 2012. President Ian Khama nominated Kedikilwe as vice-president on 1 August 2012, and the National Assembly promptly approved the nomination; 38 MPs voted in favor, while 12 abstained from the vote. Kedikilwe was sworn in later in the same day. The government said that Kedikilwe would retain his portfolio as Minister of Minerals, Energy, and Water Resources. Following the 2014 general election, Khama instead nominated

Mokgweetsi Masisi Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi (; born 21 July 1961) is a Motswana politician who served as the fifth president of Botswana from 2018 to 2024. He served as the eighth vice president of Botswana from 12 November 2014 to 1 April 2018. He was ...

as vice-president on 12 November 2014."Parliament Endorses Masisi As VP"
BOPA, 12 November 2014. File:Ponatshego Kedikilwe.jpg File:Ponatshego Kedikilwe 7.jpg File:Ponatshego Kedikilwe 4.jpg

References

External links

1938 births Living people Botswana Democratic Party politicians Vice-presidents of Botswana Finance ministers of Botswana Energy ministers of Botswana Water ministers of Botswana Members of the National Assembly (Botswana) Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs alumni 20th-century Botswana politicians 21st-century Botswana politicians {{Botswana-politician-stub