Thuso Mphela

Thuso Mphela has over 20 years of teaching experience at the University level. He is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Botswana teaching and researching in areas including Entrepreneurship, Small Business Management, Procurement and Logistics. A seasoned programme developer, Thuso has worked with a number of key stakeholders locally and internationally in programme development and multi-country projects. He has also served as visiting scholar and teacher in a number of institutions. At Global Business Labs, Thuso was a Lab Coach responsible for assisting entrepreneurs in building their business ideas for “pitching” and handholding through provision of business advice once they are accepted in the Lab. Added to these, he is a coordinator of the Global Consultancy Program (GCP), a student consultancy training program in partnership with Ohio University and a number of partner universities around the globe. Thuso has worked in an experimental research project exploring sports, life skills and entrepreneurship as tools for youth empowerment focusing on teens in three different African countries.

Notable consultancy projects include the development of the Botswana Logistics and Transport Strategy, the Motloutse River Horticulture Cluster Strategy Development and Implementation, and the Evaluation of Citizen Economic Empowerment Policy and the Development of Monitoring Tools. 

Thuso Mphela has led and worked with a team of researchers in Botswana on Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) annual surveys, measuring country entrepreneurial activity that culminated in two National reports to present. He served as a member of the resolutions committee of the BOCCIM (now Business Botswana) national conference, a committee tasked with drafting resolutions of the engagements between government and the private sector on economic development issues.

Outside teaching and research activities, Thuso is a businessman running his grocery stores which first started trading in 2021. He also serves in his local church and participates in different community building projects. He is married with two kids, aged 10 and 14 years old.