Nthanda Manduwi has been selected as a fellow in the Rockefeller Big Bets Fellowship, a global initiative focused on advancing bold, system-level solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
The fellowship brings together a cohort of leaders working across sectors to design and implement approaches that operate at scale, with a particular emphasis on long-term impact, cross-sector coordination, and real-world deployment. It provides access to a network of practitioners, institutional partners, and resources intended to support the development of complex systems over time.
For Manduwi, the selection comes at a critical moment in her work.
Over the past decade, her trajectory has moved from storytelling and narrative-building to the development of institutions and, more recently, the design of infrastructure systems. Through the Ntha Foundation, she has focused on education, research, and the development of human capital. Through the Kwathu Kollective, she has built ecosystems that bring together creators, innovators, and communities across Africa.
This work has increasingly converged into a focus on applied systems.
The Kwathu Smart Innovation Farms [KSIF] represent one such system, integrating agricultural production, training, and data-driven decision-making within a single operational environment. At the same time, through Q2 Systems, Manduwi is advancing infrastructure that connects simulation, coordination, and deployment across physical systems, including the development of tools such as Q2 Sim and QTrax.
The fellowship aligns with this shift.
It supports work that requires sustained development, iteration, and coordination across multiple layers—conditions that are particularly relevant for deep technology and infrastructure systems. These types of systems often operate on longer timelines, requiring significant investment before results are visible or measurable in conventional terms.
Manduwi’s work reflects this reality.
Over the next year, her focus will be on translating these layered efforts into functioning systems. This includes advancing the deployment of KSIF as applied environments for agricultural production and training, while continuing to develop the underlying infrastructure through Q2 Systems.
A key priority will also be the identification and development of talent.
The systems being built require engineers and operators capable of working across software and physical environments, with the ability to translate models into real-world deployment. As a result, Manduwi is actively seeking to engage and bring together African builders who can contribute to the design and operation of these systems.
The approach reflects a broader view of system-building.
Rather than treating capital, talent, and infrastructure as separate domains, the work integrates them into a single framework, where each component reinforces the others. This is particularly relevant in emerging contexts, where systems often need to be assembled alongside the environments in which they operate.
The Rockefeller Big Bets Fellowship provides a platform to advance this work within a broader network of global practitioners and institutions. It also signals a recognition of the importance of long-term, system-oriented approaches in addressing complex challenges.
For Manduwi, the year ahead will be defined by execution.
The focus will be on ensuring that the systems being developed operate reliably, deliver measurable value, and establish a foundation that can be extended across contexts. The ambition is clear, but so is the discipline required to realize it.
Read Nthanda’s Published Books:
If you’d like to go deeper into Nthanda’s journey — from Malawi, through the United Nations to Microsoft, you can find it in her books:
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