Zimbabwean activist Namatai Kwekweza has won this year’s German Africa Prize.
A select audience gathered in Berlin on Wednesday to honor the 26-year-old woman and youth activist.
The 20-member independent jury said Kwekweza offers “a resounding message of confidence and democratic renewal”.
The jury selected Quequeza from more than two dozen nominees in the final round.
In her formal address, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner praised Kwekweza for pioneering democracy and the rule of law in her country.
Klöckner said, “Dear Naamatai, you are taking up the space that rightfully belongs to you, even if the government has no intention of doing it for you.”
Klöckner said politics and society in Zimbabwe and beyond need women like Kwekweza, adding that she hoped the award and its message would also resonate in the activist’s home country.
The Zimbabwean embassy was absent from Wednesday evening’s ceremony. “But I’m sure they certainly noticed,” Klockner said.
Who is Namtai Kwekweza?
Naamatai Kwekweza founded it at the age of 18 Wellaid TrustAn organization that trains youth leaders and works to include them in political decision-making processes.
In an increasingly repressive environment in Zimbabwe, she fights for the rule of law and political participation. Quequeza has faced great risks for this: he has been arrested several times and has reported attempts at torture and intimidation. Every achievement has its price, Kwekweza said.
“At the end of the day, we have to make our difficult choices,” Quequeza told DW.
“If you are kidnapped for speaking truth to power, if you are in jail for speaking truth to power, that is hard. But if you are awake and living a life, living a life that is limited in opportunity and possibilities, then that is also hard.”
representative of the new generation
When asked how he felt after receiving the prestigious award, Kwekweza praised his community and the WELEAD Africa team behind him.
“I consider myself fortunate that I get to go to all these boogie places, because many of my peers don’t,” Kwekweza reflected, adding: “My mother considers herself privileged that I get to go home after work in one piece, not in a coffin.”
Kwekweza dedicated his award “to all the youth who stood up to power and who paid a heavy price for it.”
Jury chair Klaus Stacker, Africa Program Director at DW, explained that the recent momentum in youth activism in Africa had played a role in the jury’s decision.
“Young people across the continent are campaigning for their share in decision-making, transparency and social change, as demonstrated by Generation Z protest movements in countries such as Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania and Cameroon,” Stacker said.
For the jury, Namtai Kwekweza is a leading example not only of protest, but of “a new generation of democrats, courageously taking responsibility and helping shape the future of their countries”.
What is the German Africa Prize?
The award is considered the highest German recognition for Africans. is rewarded by German Africa Foundation – A non-partisan foundation committed to promoting a more nuanced image of Africa in the political arena and among the German public.
Since 1993, it has honored individuals from the African continent who have made extraordinary contributions to democracy, peace, human rights, sustainable development, research, arts, culture or social issues in Africa.
Last year, Yvonne Aki-Sawyer, the mayor of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, received the award. Other recipients include COVID researchers Tulio de Oliveira and Sikhulile Moyo, former Botswana President Ketumile Masire and Somali activists Waris Diri and Ilawad Elman.
Kwekweza attended the ceremony with his mother, which was held just steps away from the illuminated Brandenburg Gate. He called on the older generation to trust the youth more, “even before they have to prove themselves”.
“When we work from a place where we believe in youth, that’s what allows us to move forward and create a better, brighter future,” he said.
Luisa von Richthofen in Berlin and Privilege Muswanhiri in Harare contributed to this report
Edited by: Keith Walker, Carl Sexton
This article has been updated after the awards ceremony on November 26, 2025. It was originally published on November 14, 2025