2026 Consumer Choice Awards

I am delighted to have been nominated again at the Consumer Choice Awards Malawi 2026, this time in the category of the Most Inspiring Female Business Leader as founder and CEO of Q2 Systems. Last year, I was nominated as the Most Inspiring Female Corporate Leader, and we took it home. It was wonderful for the work of my non-profit, Ntha Foundation, to be recognized in that way.

https://www.instagram.com/nthandamanduwi/p/DR97fusEarc/

Q2 is my newest and most ambitious bet yet – a company I established at the beginning of 2025, as I pursued my MBA studies at the Michigan State University.

VOTE FOR NTHANDA VIA THE CCA WEBSITE

About Q2 Systems

At Q2 Systems, we are building closed-loop autonomous infrastructure systems—integrating simulation, real-world deployment, and continuous learning into one adaptive ecosystem.

In simpler terms:
We design systems that learn from the world, act in the world, and improve over time.

From autonomous mobility through QTrax, to intelligent production systems like the Kwathu Smart Innovation Farms, our goal is to rethink how infrastructure is built—especially in environments where traditional systems have failed or never existed.

I deeply believe in a future of infrastructure which is not be retroffitted too late, but rather designed as autonomy-native from the start.

VIEW THE Q2 DEMO

Successes Thus Far

This work has already begun to open doors—globally.

I was selected as a Detroit Tech Fellow, joining a new generation of founders building the future of industry and innovation in one of America’s most historically significant cities. Detroit to me is a statement about rebuilding, reinvention, and systems thinking.

I was also selected for the inaugural Big Bets Fellowship: Africa Fellowship, part of a global network focused on tackling large-scale challenges with bold, scalable ideas. I trust that this experience will sharpen how I think about markets, infrastructure, and what it actually takes to build solutions that endure.

These platforms allow us to test, build, and scale what Q2 Systems represents.

Beyond Me

This nomination is not just about me.

It is about:

A different vision for global innovation that benefits Africa
A belief that we can build globally relevant systems from our contexts
A commitment to designing infrastructure that actually works for the environments it serves

I invite you to participate in that vision.

VOTE FOR NTHANDA MANDUWI VIA THE CCA WEBSITE

Listen to the Lessons Conversation

Lessons Conversation

Delve into Business and International Development with Nthanda Manduwi

podcast.lessonsconversation.com

Your First [Free] Book Is Here!

Welcome to a new chapter of The Lessons Conversation.

I am most delighted to finally share the first book in the Lessons series with you, FOR FREE.

If you’ve been following the podcast for a while, thank you for staying on this journey with me. And if you just recently joined us, welcome – I am genuinely glad you’re here.

You may have noticed that this week’s post arrived a day later than usual. Typically, I publish the podcast first thing on Mondays, to start the week with you.

I spent yesterday travelling to New York City for the 2026 United Nations High-Level Political Forum [HLPF], where I’ll be spending the week listening, learning, and engaging in conversations about sustainable development from around the world. Thank you for your patience.

Last week, I had hoped to make the first book available immediately, but I ran into an unexpected challenge with Amazon. Kindle promotions aren’t quite as straightforward, and it took a little longer than expected to make everything work. The good news is that we’ve figured it out.

From this week onward, every week you’ll receive one book from the series completely free.

Rather than following a strict sequence, I’ll simply share whichever book feels most relevant or inspired by the conversations, ideas, and experiences of that particular week. Today that is Lessons. Other weeks it may be Systemic Nonsense, Impossible Economies, or another title entirely. I want each week’s reading to feel like part of an ongoing conversation rather than a reading list.

One important thing to know: once you claim a Kindle book during its free promotion, it remains in your Kindle library permanently. Even though each giveaway lasts only a limited time [5 days to be specific], the copy you download is yours to keep forever.

If you find a book meaningful, I have one small favour to ask: please share it. Send this newsletter to a friend, colleague, student, policymaker, or anyone else you think would enjoy joining the conversation. The goal has never simply been to publish books. It is to build a community that thinks deeply about what works, in what context, under what circumstances, and why.

This Week’s Book

📖 Lessons [Book 1]

The opening book in the series introduces the central question that connects every book that follows:

What Works? In What Context? Under What Circumstances? Why?

Drawing on experiences across international development, entrepreneurship, technology, government, and systems thinking, Lessons explores why good intentions alone are never enough – and why better questions often matter more than quick answers.

How to Read

To receive your free Kindle copy:

* Click the Amazon link below.

* Select the Kindle edition while the promotion is active.

* Add it to your Kindle library.

You do not need a Kindle device. The free Kindle app works on iPhone, Android, tablets, Macs, and PCs, allowing you to build your digital library wherever you read.

Helpful Links

📚 Read this week’s book for free [search on Amazon or in Kindle for the book that is free for the week, and feel free to purchase the others]:http://amazon.com/dp/B0FQNJ61SB

📰 Subscribe to The Lessons Conversation:

Africa paperback pre-orders:https://forms.office.com/r/RMRMKTNd1M

A Small Update on the Podcast

Over the past months, The Lessons Conversation has largely taken the form of Lessons Weekly: my personal reflections on current events, systems, and international development.

For the next seven weeks, the podcast will take a slightly different form.

Each week I’ll dedicate an episode to one of the books in the Lessons series. For the first time, these episodes will also be available as full-length videos on YouTube, so you’ll be able to either listen through your favourite podcast app or watch the conversations as they unfold.

These videos are something I’ve wanted to create for a while – not simply to introduce the books, but to build a lasting body of work around the ideas behind them.

Once we’ve completed this seven-week series, The Lessons Conversation will evolve again. We’ll move beyond solo reflections into conversations with remarkable people whose work is shaping the future of development, technology, entrepreneurship, public policy, and society.

I’m excited for what comes next.

As I spend this week at the High-Level Political Forum here in New York, I’m already finding myself inspired by the conversations taking place. I’m curious to see which ideas stay with me; and, perhaps more importantly, which book feels like the right one to share with you next week.

Thank you for reading, thank you for subscribing, and thank you for being part of this community.

Enjoyed listening to the Lessons Conversation? This post is public, so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcast.lessonsconversation.com