Kwathu Kollective

10/06/2025

𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙, 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙞! 🇲🇼

The Kwathu Kollective was nominated for the 𝗜𝗖𝗧 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 by ICT Association Of Malawi — standing proudly alongside leading institutions like Malawi's National College of Information Technology (NACIT), the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), and Mzuzu University.

We were also nominated in the category of '𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺'; and while we did not take home the awards this year, the nominations alone affirms our commitment to equipping African youth with the digital skills they need to thrive in a global economy. We are especially proud to have been recognized for our impact in just 4 years of operation.

🏆 Congratulations to NACIT for the well-deserved win — and to all the outstanding nominees driving innovation in education.

Thank you to our community, partners, and team for continuing to believe in the power of African creativity, technology, and collaboration. Our journey is (still) just beginning.

🔗 www.kwathu.org

10/06/2025

Our new home! Visit us at Excel Primary School in Mangochi!

We’re thrilled to welcome Kwathu Kollective to the Excel Primary School campus 🎉

As of 1st June, 2025, Kwathu Kollective is within the Excel campus. This exciting relocation means greater impact as Kwathu will now be able to reach even more youth in Mangochi, and our learners will benefit from a wide range of enriching trainings and activities.
Here’s to growth, collaboration, and empowering the next generation together 💫📚
Kwathu Kollective
kwathu.org

29/05/2025

We are thrilled to share that the Kwathu Kollective, under the umbrella of the Ntha Foundation, has been nominated for the prestigious 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗔𝗠 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀.

The ICT Association Of Malawi (ICTAM) has recognized our work in the following two categories:

𝟭. 𝗜𝗖𝗧 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (via Digital Skills For Africa)
𝟮. 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻-𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺

This nomination comes as a humbling affirmation of the work we continue to do at Kwathu—empowering creators, technologists, and innovators through digital skills programming, coworking space incubation, and creative industry support across Malawi and beyond.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚: kwathu.org/ictam-2025

𝙑𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScL2M32_DvgUbWoFlnum3iFADMF9gb-q5RBoQ9od7Fy7AH-RA/viewform

28/05/2025

Join us in welcoming Ms. Chimango Manduwi as the new Operations Lead of the Kwathu Kollective, following our recent relocation to Mangochi, Malawi.

Chimango is no stranger to Kwathu: she served as the first Finance Lead in the Digital Malawi Project, when the first hub was established in Lilongwe, Malawi.

She left this role to take up a new role as the Managing Director of Excel Primary School in Mangochi, and has grown the operations of the school since. During the first phase of the DIgital Malawi Project, we collaborated with Excel, to pilot our vision of digitally integrated institutions.

Now, Kwathu HQ has moved into the premises of Excel, and she will now lead both institutions, as we pilot further, and plan to scale globally. We believe in a reality where innovation hubs (in the case of Africa) are not separated from, but are rather a part of academic institutions. This is our vision for our work, and growth in supporting African innovators and creators: growing with you.

Chimango is uniquely equipped for this new role. She is presently pursuing her MBA at the University of Malawi (UNIMA), and she holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS).

Having spent the past two years stabilizing Excel following her mother’s passing, she has also immersed herself in the Digital Malawi Project—understanding how government, community, and tech intersect.

A few days ago, she hosted the Digital Malawi Project team at Excel, recapping the successes and lessons of the first phase of the project, as they plan to rollout the next phase.

Learn more about Chimango, and our new strategic direction on our website: kwathu.org/chimango-manduwi

28/05/2025

𝗪𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗!📍

On the 19𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘺, 2025, we celebrated 𝟰 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 as a hub of innovation and creativity; with the doors to our first offices having being opened on the 19𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘺, 2021. 𝟰 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 of growing, creating, and innovating with you.

On the same day (19th of May, 2025), we relocated our HQ to Mangochi District, on the lakeshore of the majestic Lake Malawi.

Mangochi has always held a special place in our story. It was in Mangochi that we piloted one of our most successful programs under the 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘄𝗶 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁—training youth in digital, entrepreneurial, and e-work skills through what is now called Digital Skills For Africa.

More than 600 young people participated. Many launched businesses. Some went on to freelance internationally. Others became local trainers in their communities. The results were transformative—and proved that 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲.

Today, we’re proud to call Mangochi our official home. Our new headquarters is hosted at Excel Primary School, under the leadership of Ms. Chimango Manduwi, who now also serves as 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 at the Kwathu Kollective.

Read more on this transition, and find out how you can work with us via our website: kwathu.org/mangochi

21/04/2025

✨ 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘿𝙖𝙮!

From the Home of Africa’s Creators — Kwathu Kollective

Today, April 21st, we honor what drives us every single day at Kwathu Kollective: the power of creativity and the promise of innovation.

World Creativity and Innovation Day is more than a global observance — it’s a call to action for dreamers, doers, and disruptors across the world. For us, it’s a moment to spotlight the brilliance that lives in Africa’s creators — those who dare to challenge norms, build from scratch, and imagine beyond borders.

At Kwathu, creativity is currency. Whether through art, tech, gaming, agriculture, storytelling, or design — our collective exists to make space for originality, authenticity, and bold African expression. We believe in solutions shaped by culture, powered by collaboration, and driven by purpose.

This year, we’re reminded:

🚀 Innovation doesn’t always look like Silicon Valley. Sometimes, it looks like a young woman in Zomba teaching herself to code.

🛠️ Creativity isn’t just in studios. It’s in the market stalls, the classrooms, the music studios, and the farms.

🧠 Ideas are our greatest resource. And when nurtured, they can transform economies.

To our community of artists, builders, technologists, storytellers, and strategists: today is yours. Continue to challenge, build, inspire, and reimagine the world.

Happy World Creativity and Innovation Day. Let’s create Africa, together. https://kwathu.org/wcid/

25/03/2025

22/03/2025

17/03/2025

📢 𝙀𝙭𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙉𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙞! 🎨💡

The Kwathu Kollective , in partnership with the Malawi Government - Department of Arts, is hosting two exclusive workshops in Blantyre and Lilongwe!

These sessions will be facilitated by the Hub Manager (and Business Development Lead), Ms. Abigail Zingani, and they will equip women creatives with essential skills in Gender Equality, Business Development, and Digital Skills—key pillars in building sustainable creative enterprises.

📍 Blantyre: March 17-18, 2025 | Larchevio Lodge
📍 Lilongwe: March 20-21, 2025 | Lingadzi Inn

Join us as we empower in Malawi with tools and knowledge to lead, innovate, and thrive!

🔗 Learn more & register: kwathu.org/womencreatives

17/02/2025

As we continue with our work of empowering Africa's youth with skills and knowledge to help them advance in their personal development and towards self-actualisation; we are delighted to partner with schools around Malawi and beyond to host .

On 12 February, 2025, we had the incredible opportunity to partner with Good Shepherd International School (Lilongwe) as part of ! 🎓✨

Our team members, Justin Mtunga and Abigail Zingani, engaged with students, sharing insights on digital skills and career pathways in business development.

We also introduced them to the Digital Skills For Africa (DSA) initiative—a platform designed to help students expand their digital skills and prepare for the future.

Learn more about , and find out how you can work with us on our website: https://kwathu.org/gsis-career-day/