“When I reimagine the world, it is a place in which youth and women are leaders able to make decisions that affect their present and future.”

Namatai Kwekweza is a human rights activist, feminist, and constitutionalism advocate based in Zimbabwe. She works to advance young people and women’s rights through participation, activism, advocacy, and resource mobilization. Her desire to advance the fight against ageist inequality and patriarchy led her to found WELEAD Trust, a youth leadership development and advocacy organization, in 2017.

With WELEAD, Namatai has worked with a strong team of dedicated youth leaders and volunteers to advance youth inclusion in leadership, decision-making, and governance processes. Outside of WELEAD, she has worked to protect democratic participation and expand who is able to serve in government in Zimbabwe. In 2019, she joined the movement to oppose Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 2, which weakened the judiciary and parliament while concentrating power on the executive. She also works to advance reforms that lower the age required to run for office, with a central idea being that if youth can vote at 18 years old, they should be allowed to run for office at 18, too. Namatai is an awardee of the WalkAbout Prize, a Fellow at the School of International Futures, a Rotarian, and an award-winning professional public speaker under Toastmasters International in Southern Africa.

Namatai believes in the human spirit and in the power of human collaboration. One of her favorite leadership mantras is, “All of us together are better than one of us.”