{"id":83103,"date":"2026-04-16T10:33:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T10:33:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/cosbots-meets-jacob-kelebeng-over-creative-industry-challenges"},"modified":"2026-04-16T10:33:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T10:33:25","slug":"cosbots-meets-jacob-kelebeng-over-creative-industry-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/cosbots-meets-jacob-kelebeng-over-creative-industry-challenges","title":{"rendered":"Cosbots Meets Jacob Kelebeng over Creative Industry Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Botswana. <\/strong><\/span><b>The Copyright Society of Botswana, widely known as Cosbots, has held a high level meeting with Minister Jacob Kelebeng to address pressing challenges facing the creative sector in Botswana. The discussion focused on how the country can improve protection for artists, strengthen compliance in broadcasting, and grow income streams for creators. Cosbots serves as the national Collective Management Organisation responsible for safeguarding intellectual property rights across multiple creative fields. The meeting comes at a time when many artists are struggling with low earnings and limited exposure. Both parties emphasized the need for urgent and coordinated action to support the industry. The engagement signals renewed attention to the creative economy as a key driver of youth employment and cultural development.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Cosbots plays a central role in managing and protecting copyrighted works in Botswana\u2019s creative ecosystem. The organisation collects royalties from users of copyrighted content and distributes them to the rightful owners. It also regulates the use and broadcasting of both local and international music within the country. Another key responsibility includes issuing licenses for the use of protected works across different platforms. Cosbots also manages rights linked to public display of non musical works such as art, sculptures, and other creative expressions. These functions are designed to ensure that creators receive fair compensation for their work while promoting legal use of creative content.<\/p>\n<p>Led by Board Chairperson Ms. Bakalanga Malikongwa, Cosbots used the meeting to highlight ongoing challenges affecting artists and creative professionals. The organisation stressed its commitment to building a more inclusive and sustainable creative industry in Botswana. One of the main concerns raised was the economic hardship faced by many creatives who rely on inconsistent income streams. Cosbots also called for stronger government involvement, including consideration of a levy on technical services that support creative production and distribution. The organisation further raised concerns about weak compliance among radio and television stations regarding local content rules. These challenges continue to limit the growth potential of the creative sector and reduce earnings for rights holders.<\/p>\n<p>A major issue discussed during the meeting was non compliance with the local content policy that requires 80 percent local music and 20 percent foreign music on air. Cosbots expressed concern that some broadcasters are not following this requirement, leading to reduced exposure for local artists. They also noted that certain stations rely heavily on foreign music, especially during late night programming or transition periods before morning broadcasts begin. This practice has a direct impact on royalties and limits opportunities for local talent to gain visibility. Cosbots warned that continued non compliance undermines the policy\u2019s intent and weakens the local creative economy. Strong enforcement was identified as a key step toward correcting these imbalances.<\/p>\n<p>Minister Jacob Kelebeng responded positively to the concerns raised by Cosbots and acknowledged the importance of protecting local creators in Botswana. He commended the organisation for its ongoing work in supporting artists and managing intellectual property rights. The Minister assured stakeholders that the government would engage relevant institutions to improve enforcement of the local content policy. He also recognized the issue of excessive foreign music on local airwaves and committed to addressing it through regulatory and policy measures. In addition, he announced plans to inject P200 million into the creative industry to strengthen production capacity and expand opportunities for artists. This funding is expected to boost local content creation for radio, television, and live performances.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting between Cosbots and the Ministry highlights the growing recognition of the creative industry as a key pillar of economic development in Botswana. It reflects a shared understanding that artists need stronger institutional support, fair compensation, and better market access to thrive. Cosbots was encouraged to remain active in stakeholder engagement and continue advocating for compliance and reform across the sector. The discussions also point to a broader national effort to build a more sustainable and inclusive creative economy. If implemented effectively, the proposed measures and funding commitments could significantly improve conditions for artists and rights holders. The engagement sets a clear direction toward strengthening the creative industry and unlocking its full economic potential.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Botswana<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Botswana. The Copyright Society of Botswana, widely known as Cosbots, has held a high level meeting with Minister Jacob Kelebeng to address pressing challenges facing the creative sector in Botswana. The discussion focused on how the country can improve protection for artists, strengthen compliance in broadcasting, and grow income streams for creators. Cosbots [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":83102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-83103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-culture-and-art","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>Cosbots Meets Jacob Kelebeng over Creative Industry Challenges - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/cosbots-meets-jacob-kelebeng-over-creative-industry-challenges\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cosbots Meets Jacob Kelebeng over Creative Industry Challenges\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press &#8211; Botswana. The Copyright Society of Botswana, widely known as Cosbots, has held a high level meeting with Minister Jacob Kelebeng to address pressing challenges facing the creative sector in Botswana. The discussion focused on how the country can improve protection for artists, strengthen compliance in broadcasting, and grow income streams for creators. 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