Nondumiso Andile Ngwenya

Nondumiso Andile Ngwenya is a Zimbabwean public servant and scholar from Bulawayo pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. She is a Mastercard Foundation Scholar and a member of Kellogg College.

She graduated top of her class with the only First-Class (Cum Laude) Bachelor of Social Work degree at the University of Namibia for her year. In 2024, her advocacy earned her a place among the Global 100 Under 40 Most Influential People of African Descent in Humanitarianism and Activism, in support of the UN International Decade for People of African Descent.

Guided by the Rotary motto “Service Above Self,” Nondumiso’s leadership journey spans the Interact Club, the Windhoek Rotaract Club, and the African Pathfinder Leaders Initiative, which strengthened her commitment to community development. As the UNAM SRC for Community Development and Gender Affairs, and later the National Secretary for Gender, Disability and Social Welfare Affairs at the Namibian National Students Organization, she tackled issues surrounding gender-based violence, mental health, and quality, accessible education. To drive grassroots awareness of SDGs 3, 4 and 5, she also founded a student-led initiative on campus.

Through these roles, Nondumiso recognised that sustainable social impact requires both top-level policy reform and rigorous programme evaluation to measure what truly works on the ground. At Oxford, she is eager to leverage the Master of Public Policy and, subsequently, the MSc in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation to design and evaluate transformative social policies across Africa.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Nondumiso brings strong athletic discipline to her work. A former player for the Zimbabwe National Team, she adapted to a major injury by taking up running and recently completed her first half-marathon. Her athletic background has instilled in her a deep commitment to resilience, focus, and teamwork.

As a Mastercard Foundation Scholar, Nondumiso looks forward to collaborating with a dynamic global community to drive meaningful social policy reform across Africa.