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Statistics Botswana
Statistics Botswana has officially appointed Dr. Khaufelo Raymond Lekobane as the new Statistician General. Appointed by the Vice President and Minister of Finance, Mr. Ndaba Gaolathe, Dr. Lekobane is tasked with leading the nation’s data governance and evidence-based decision-making.
Professional Profile
Background: Over a decade of experience in statistical research and development policy.
Previous Role: Research Fellow/Statistician at the Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA).
Areas of Expertise: Multidimensional poverty, social protection, inequality, and quantitative/qualitative methodologies.
Academic Credentials: * PhD in Development Studies (University of Sussex, IDS)
Master’s in Statistics (University of Botswana)
BA in Statistics and Economics (University of Botswana)
Key Objectives & Vision
In his new capacity, Dr. Lekobane will focus on:
Data Integrity: Strengthening statistical governance and enhancing data quality and accessibility.
Policy Influence: Promoting evidence-based planning across all economic sectors.
Innovation: Driving inclusivity and transformation to support Botswana's sustainable development goals.
As Botswana’s economy moves through the first quarter of 2026, staying informed about underlying price trends is essential for both businesses and consumers. While "headline inflation"—the total inflation figure often cited in the news—rose to 4.1 percent in January 2026, it only tells part of the story. To see the true direction of the economy, we must look at Core Inflation.
What is Core Inflation?
Unlike headline inflation, which includes every item in the "shopping basket," core inflation filters out volatile or temporary price changes. Statistics Botswana uses two primary methods to track this:
Trimmed Mean Core Inflation: This method removes 8 percent of the most extreme price changes (the highest and lowest) to show a smoother trend.
Core Inflation by Exclusion: This measure specifically removes "administered prices"—those set or heavily influenced by the government rather than market forces alone.
The Numbers: A Steady Upward Tick
The latest data from January 2026 indicates a slight firming of these underlying price pressures:
Trimmed Mean Core Inflation increased to 4.6 percent, up from 4.5 percent in December 2025.
Core Inflation (Excluding Administered Prices) saw a slightly larger jump, reaching 5.1 percent compared to 4.9 percent the previous month.
Why Does This Matter?
While headline inflation is influenced by specific surges in areas like Transport (which contributed 1.6 percentage points to the total) and Education (up 2.0 percent due to tuition hikes), core inflation suggests that price increases are becoming more broad-based across the economy.
For policymakers and stakeholders, these core metrics are "indispensable for the formulation of socio-economic and monetary policies". They provide a clearer signal of whether inflation is likely to persist or if it is driven by one-off events.
As we look ahead, the steady rise in core rates—even as some sectors like Housing and Utilities show a moderating effect —will be a key area for the new Statistician General, Dr. Khaufelo R. Lekobane, to monitor as Statistics Botswana continues to serve as the custodian of our national data.
Source
For a full breakdown of these statistics, including regional variations and tradeability indices, you can access the complete "Consumer Price Index January 2026" report at www.statsbots.org.bw
