Zambian Governance Foundation (ZGF) launches Shifting the Power Debates to amplify youth voices in national development conversations Wednesday February 18, 2025 Lusaka, Zambia
Engwase Banda Mwale is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Zambian Governance Foundation (ZGF), focusing on shifting power to communities, local philanthropy, and sustainable development. She is an experienced leader with over 20 years in senior management, specializing in gender, organizational development, and strengthening civil society. kuja.org kuja.org +4 Key Details about Engwase Banda Mwale: Current Role: CEO of the Zambian Governance Foundation (ZGF), leading initiatives to redefine donor-recipient relationships and promote community-led development. Previous Experience: She served as the Executive Director of the NGO Coordinating Council (NGOCC) from 2005 to 2022. Expertise: She is a consultant in gender, leadership, and organizational development, and a advocate for decolonizing aid. Education: She holds a background in Business Administration and has led efforts in promoting women's transformative leadership. kuja.org kuja.org +7 Mwale has recently been active in promoting local philanthropy to address poverty and unemployment in Zambia.
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Key Details about Engwase Banda Mwale:
Current Role: CEO of the Zambian Governance Foundation (ZGF), leading initiatives to redefine donor-recipient relationships and promote community-led development.
Previous Experience: She served as the Executive Director of the NGO Coordinating Council (NGOCC) from 2005 to 2022.
Expertise: She is a consultant in gender, leadership, and organizational development, and a advocate for decolonizing aid.
Education: She holds a background in Business Administration and has led efforts in promoting women’s transformative leadership.
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Mwale has recently been active in promoting local philanthropy to address poverty and unemployment in Zambia.
ZGF launches Shifting the Power Debates to amplify youth voices in national development conversations
Wednesday February 18, 2025 Lusaka, Zambia
The Zambian Governance Foundation (ZGF) has launched the Shifting the Power (STP) Inter-University Debate initiative to amplify young people’s voices in conversations about power, governance, equity and locally led development.
This move anchors on the premise that young people, who are the leaders of future Zambia, need to actively engage in issues that concern the country’s sustainability and play a role in shaping it.
“The Shifting the Power Debates will provide a platform for university students to critically engage with pressing development questions and challenge traditional models of decision-making. Anchored in the global #ShiftThePower movement, the debates seek to reimagine who holds influence in development processes and how communities can take greater ownership of their futures,” explained ZGF Chief Executive Officer Engwase Banda Mwale.
“Development cannot continue to happen for communities without happening with them.”
Participating universities will include:
• The University of Zambia
• The Copperbelt University
• Mulungushi University
• The University of Lusaka
Through a televised format that will be aired on ZNBC TV1, students will interrogate key themes such as community-led development and youth participation in governance.
Ms Mwale added: “The debates will not only test intellectual rigor but also encourage bold thinking, evidence-based arguments and transformative ideas.”
The winning team will go on to represent Zambia in the Pan-African Shifting the Power Debates, where they will compete against teams from Ghana and Malawi.
This continental platform will position Zambian youth voices within a broader African dialogue on locally led development and power transformation.
The initiative is supported by Comic Relief and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), whose partnership reinforces the commitment to advancing locally led development and shifting power to communities.
About the Zambian Governance Foundation for Civil Society (ZGF)
In the realm of transformative change, ZGF stands as a champion for civil society organisations in Zambia.
Established in 2009, ZGF’s commitment has been the bedrock of the organisation’s journey.
Through a robust framework of capacity development initiatives and an active stance on local philanthropy, ZGF has established itself as a dedicated partner in the evolution of community-led development in Zambia.
Central to ZGF’s ethos is the belief in the power and resourcefulness of local communities.
The organisation firmly asserts that communities possess the ability to shape their destinies independently, free from the constraints of external aid.
ZGF is a proud member of Civicus, the African philanthropy Network, the #ShiftthePower movement, and the Zambia Alliance for Agroecology and Biodiversity, the Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR), among others.
For media inquiries and further information, please contact:
Fatima Mawele – Communications & Advocacy Specialist
Email: fatima.mawele@zgf.org.zm
Visit our website at www.zgf.org.zm
kuja.org +4- Current Role: CEO of the Zambian Governance Foundation (ZGF), leading initiatives to redefine donor-recipient relationships and promote community-led development.
- Previous Experience: She served as the Executive Director of the NGO Coordinating Council (NGOCC) from 2005 to 2022.
- Expertise: She is a consultant in gender, leadership, and organizational development, and a advocate for decolonizing aid.
- Education: She holds a background in Business Administration and has led efforts in promoting women’s transformative leadership.
kuja.org +7
