{"id":82456,"date":"2026-03-21T10:44:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T10:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/udc-dumps-steve-harvey"},"modified":"2026-03-21T11:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T11:26:08","slug":"udc-dumps-steve-harvey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/udc-dumps-steve-harvey","title":{"rendered":"UDC Dumps Steve Harvey"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"ap-article-header-tag\"> <strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Botswana. <\/strong> <\/span><b>The UDC government has chosen not to extend Steve Harvey\u2019s P470M contract, emphasizing its focus on local filmmakers, TV producers and homegrown entertainment talent.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government has opted not to renew the entertainment contract of American media mogul Steve Harvey insisting on empowering local entertainment sector.<\/p>\n<p>Harvey, renowned worldwide for his hosting and production prowess, was brought in under the previous administration with a mandate to leverage his global influence to elevate local television content and film production. Under the deal, the Botswana Ignite project was founded in order to steer the Botswana version of popular game show Family Feud and other undisclosed projects.<\/p>\n<p>The high-profile deal, reportedly valued at over P470 million over three years, faced persistent criticism from segments of the local film industry, who argued that the funds could better serve domestic talent.<\/p>\n<p>NURTURING THE LOCAL INDUSTRY<\/p>\n<p>Presenting before Parliament on Monday, the Minister of Sport and Arts, Jacob Kelebeng revealed that the decision reflects a commitment to nurturing Botswana\u2019s creative industries and giving local filmmakers, producers and television personalities a stronger platform.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Steve Harvey contract will be answered in detail by the Minister for State President, Defence and Security at a later date but I can confirm that the contract will not be renewed. Our priority is to empower local talent, ensuring that the money invested directly benefits our people and strengthens the industry from within,\u201d Kelebeng told Parliament.<\/p>\n<p>FINANCIAL AND CULTURAL STATEMENT<\/p>\n<p>While Harvey\u2019s presence brought international attention to Botswana\u2019s entertainment scene, critics such as the Botswana Film Association contended that meaningful long-term development hinges on building local capacity rather than relying on foreign stars. The cancellation of the contract is seen as both a financial and cultural statement, redirecting resources to homegrown productions that promise sustained impact.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ap-article-footer-note\">Find more news and analyses on <span class=\"ap-highlight-country\">Botswana<\/span> on the <span class=\"ap-highlight-brand\">Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Botswana. The UDC government has chosen not to extend Steve Harvey\u2019s P470M contract, emphasizing its focus on local filmmakers, TV producers and homegrown entertainment talent. The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government has opted not to renew the entertainment contract of American media mogul Steve Harvey insisting on empowering local entertainment sector. Harvey, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":82455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,10],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-82456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-parties","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UDC Dumps Steve Harvey - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"-article-header-tag&quot;&gt; Africa-Press - Botswana. 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