In Memoriam: H.E. Festus Gontebanye Mogae — Former President of Botswana and AWF Global Board Trustee 1939–2026

GABORONE, Botswana — The African Wildlife Foundation mourns the passing of H.E. Festus Gontebanye Mogae, former President of Botswana and a cherished member of AWF's Global Board of Trustees. President Mogae passed away early this morning, as confirmed by current President Duma Boko in a national address, who remembered him as "a distinguished statesman and patriot whose life was devoted to the service of his country." 

A statesman of rare principle and vision, President Mogae served as Botswana's third president from 1998 to 2008 with his conservation credentials running deep and long. During his presidency, Botswana strengthened its reputation as one of Africa's leading conservation nations, maintaining strong protections for elephants, rhinos, and wilderness ecosystems while promoting sustainable tourism. In that same period, he co-opened the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Conservation Area with South Africa, a landmark act of cross-border cooperation that exemplified shared resource management for sustainable development and sent a powerful signal that wildlife protection transcends national boundaries. He was also actively involved with the Kalahari Conservation Society, a personal commitment to Botswana's natural heritage that went beyond policy. 

After leaving office, he served as Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Climate Change, carrying Africa's environmental voice onto the world stage. He won the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in 2008, one of the continent's most prestigious honors, recognizing his democratic stewardship and his commitment to a peaceful transfer of power.  And in 2013, alongside the late President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, he co-chaired a sustainable development symposium hosted by the UONGOZI Institute—proof that his commitment to the intersection of governance, development, and nature never dimmed after he left office.

President Mogae brought that same dedication and moral clarity to his work with AWF. He served on AWF's Global Board of Trustees alongside fellow African statesmen, including the late H.E. Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania and the late H.E. Ketumile Masire of Botswana—a generation of leaders who understood that Africa's wildlife and wild lands were inseparable from the continent's dignity and future.  

As a patron of the Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) in 2022, President Mogae declared: "APAC must be a turning point for the relationship between the global community and African institutions. It is necessary for African communities and institutions to be actively involved in the conservation agenda for ownership and integration within the aspirations and vision for the Africa we want." Those words were not just remarks at a congress, they were the conviction of a lifetime.  

"President Mogae did not simply lend his name to our work—he showed up, he advocated, and he pushed us to ensure that African communities and African institutions were at the center of the conservation agenda, not the margins. He leaves behind not only a legacy of democratic leadership but also a lasting commitment to conservation, sustainable development, and the protection of Africa’s natural heritage. We grieve with the people of Botswana, and we commit to honoring his legacy through the work he believed in so fiercely."

—Kaddu Sebunya, CEO, African Wildlife Foundation

It is a profound and poignant coincidence that AWF's board meets today in Kasane, in the heart of the Botswana wilderness that President Mogae loved and served, on the very day of his passing. We gather in his shadow and in his spirit. 

AWF extends its deepest condolences to his wife Barbara, his family, and to every Motswana who was touched by his extraordinary life of service.