01/01/2026
๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ ๐, ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง-๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
Unity Dowโs visit to Chobe Game Lodge was more than a courtesy call โ it was a powerful moment of alignment between leadership, community and the future. In a place where conservation meets hospitality, she spent time with a team that represents a new model for Africaโs tourism: a lodge staffed predominantly by women and leading the continent with electric game drives.
The image of a determined parliamentarian walking quietly beside women rangers and guides as an electric vehicle glides past elephants says everything about the kind of future she, and the country, are advocating for.
Women at the heart of conservation
There is something transformational about a workplace where women make up the majority of the team. At Chobe Game Lodge, where roughly three out of every four staff members are women, Unity Dow found not only warm hospitality but leadership, technical skill, and deep ecological knowledge.
These women are trackers, rangers, front-of-house managers and conservation technicians โ experts who bring local knowledge and lived experience to protecting wildlife and sustaining the community.
Dowโs time there underscored how economic empowerment for women is inseparable from sustainable conservation. When women are employed, trained and trusted in decision-making roles, whole communities benefit: families gain financial stability, girls see role models, and conservation efforts gain resilience through inclusive stewardship.
A pioneering step: electric game drives
One of the most striking features of the lodge was its commitment to low-impact tourism. As the first lodge in the region to introduce electric game drives, it has turned quiet innovation into a visible act of leadership.
Electric vehicles reduce noise that disturbs wildlife, eliminate local emissions, and offer guests a more intimate, undistracted connection with the bush. That first hush of an electric motor followed by a breathless view of a herd of elephants is a small miracle โ and a proof point that luxury, access and conservation can go hand in hand.
For Dow, who leads sustainability efforts in parliament, witnessing this innovation was both affirmation and inspiration. It provides a working example of how policy can incentivize green transitions in tourism, and how the private sector can rapidly adopt technologies that reduce environmental impact while supporting livelihoods.
Leadership that bridges places and people
What made the visit motivational was not only the technologies or the staffing statistics, but the human conversations that flowed between a national leader and frontline conservationists. Unity Dowโs presence there signaled that sustainability is not an abstract policy line but a lived, daily practice in towns and lodges across the country. It also reinforced the idea that national-level leadership and grassroots action must move together: policy sets the direction, but communities and enterprises deliver the change.
Her experience at the lodge sends several clear messages:
- Investment in women transforms sectors. When women are trained and promoted, tourism becomes more inclusive, resilient and reflective of local priorities.
- Sustainable tourism is feasible and desirable. Electric game drives demonstrate that operations can reduce environmental footprints while enhancing guest experience.
- Policy matters, but partnerships matter more. Governments, private operators and communities must collaborate to scale solutions that are socially equitable and ecologically responsible.
A call to action
The story of Unity Dow at Chobe Game Lodge is a template for whatโs possible when values meet action. It invites leaders, travelers and investors to think differently: prioritize womenโs leadership, fund and adopt clean technologies, and design tourism models that sustain both people and places.
Visitors can choose lodges that empower local women and support electric or low-impact safaris. Policymakers can craft incentives that accelerate green investments. Communities can demand roles and recognition in the stewardship of their natural heritage. And leaders can continue to show up โ not just to inspect, but to listen, learn and amplify.
Conclusion: hope in motion
In the quiet between a sunrise and an electric hum, Unity Dowโs visit to Chobe Game Lodge becomes emblematic of hope in motion. It shows how courage and commitment โ by women on the ground and leaders in parliament โ can together reimagine tourism as a force for equality and conservation. If this is the direction we choose to travel, then future generations will inherit not only wild places preserved, but communities strengthened and inspired to lead.
