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Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
AFTER being discovered while in Grade Three for having impressive academic talent, Mrs Natsai Mutezo-Mawoni knew from the beginning that a career in science was her destiny. Years later, she has lived her dream and has a blossoming career in the production industry where women are making strides in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
After years of consistency, perseverance, and hard work, she landed a role at the prestigious Next Einstein Forum as the Zimbabwean Ambassador for 2023 to 2024. The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) is a platform that connects science, society, and policy in Africa and the rest of the world — with the goal to leverage science for human development globally. The NEF believes that Africa’s contributions to the global scientific community are critical for global progress.
At the centre of its efforts at NEF, is Africa’s young people, the driving force for Africa’s scientific renaissance. The organisation’s work is shaped by the belief that the next Einstein will be African.
Mrs Mutezo-Mawoni, said she hopes to contribute to policymaking in Zimbabwe with the view to contribute to the development and implementation of science, technology and innovation.
“NEF is working to make Africa a global hub for science and technology. The ethos of the organisation aligns with my own values and goals pertaining to STEM and its place in development. One of my long-term goals is to play a role in policymaking with a view of contributing to the development and implementation of science, technology, and innovation policies that will significantly impact the transformation and development of African nations. The NEF has two cross-cutting commitments: the commitment to scientific excellence that speaks to both research and education and a commitment to gender equity,” she said.
The NEF Ambassadors are young STEM champions under 42 years, one from each African country, who drive the NEF’s public engagement activities over a two-year period. These activities include the NEF Africa Science Week programme while growing their own careers through the NEF’s partnerships that offer opportunities for mentorship and collaborations with established researchers.
Mr Mutezo-Mawoni is no stranger to the science world as she represented Zimbabwe at TechWomen in the Silicon Valley, United States in 2018. She said the TechWomen experience greatly impacted her career. Her relationship with science was no mistake.
“I knew from an early age I wanted to be a scientist. I learnt at the Dominican Convent High School in Bulawayo, studying Sciences at Advanced Level. I have always loved chemistry and enjoyed other ccience subjects as well. I went on to study Chemical Technology at Midlands State University. It was here that I first realised STEM professions were male-dominated as we were four girls in a class of 40 students,” said Mrs Mutezo-Mawoni.
Asked when she realised her love for STEM, and how she actively started participating in its activities, she said as a child she aspired to be in a STEM profession without knowing what it was really about.
“The aspect of investigation in science for instance sparked my enthusiasm for science subjects. After university, my first job was with a project consultancy where I trained and worked as a proposal writer for European Technology Companies developing groundbreaking solutions in various fields including Engineering, Robotics, Biomedical Science, and Manufacturing, to name a few. I look back on this opportunity as something that shifted my perspective on the interface between Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Business and Economic Development,” she said.
Her job involved crafting project proposals for using technology in ways she had not previously encountered. It crystallised her view of the importance of STEM in advancing a nation’s economy.
“I was also successful at the work as I contributed to raising funding of up to 1,5 million Euros for a project proposal for which I was a writer. I decided early on that as I advanced in my career, I would be a STEM advocate,” said Mrs Mutezo-Mawoni.
She said there will be a biennial NEF gathering and her cohort will be hosted in Kigali, Rwanda which will offer opportunities for science lovers across the continent.
“This is more than just a conference. It is a global meeting of minds to position science at the centre of global development efforts. There is an expected presence of 10 heads of state from across Africa. There is an exceptional opportunity for global science leaders’ voices to be heard and have a major impact on Africa’s scientific future, through mentoring young people and influencing continental science policy. There are also opportunities to collaborate on scientific research and science programming with Ambassadors and fellows from other countries which means opportunities for travel across Africa with this mandate,” she said.
Part of the main agenda in the programme is public engagement in her home country and this will see her hosting Africa Science Week in Zimbabwe with programming geared at inspiring, educating and driving young upcoming science leaders and also engaging government, the private sector and academia to engage with science leaders on pertinent developmental issues. She said she views herself as a learner as she does more than grasp the basics within and outside her field.
“I am a creative individual and would always think about how these amazing solutions I was writing about would apply to the African context. I wanted to see this kind of development in my country and on my continent. When I moved on from this job I worked in the Paint Manufacturing Industry, it was a male-dominated space.
“A few years after my first job in paint, I became the first female Technical and Production Executive at Dulux Zimbabwe. During my time there, I ensured we began to have more female representation in the Technical and Production departments by recruiting the same number of female students on attachment as male students. I realised the importance of individuals with STEM backgrounds having a seat at the table and was also motivated to bring more women aboard. Some of these women were later employed by the business after completing their studies and went on to work for other large manufacturing companies,” she said.
The idea of empowering more women, she said, was not a result of any discrimination she had faced or any bad experiences. She credited all the male allies she had along the way adding that the nation is doing well in the area of women empowerment, validating and giving women a chance in various fields.
“I am where I am because of two male individuals who believe in me and gave me a chance at a senior leadership role as a young STEM professional,” she proudly said.
A major part of her current work is to provide all the technical information required for plant design and installation in a manufacturing setting to engineering teams or entities. She works in the manufacture of hygiene solutions and her STEM background combined with proposal writing experience has seen her develop ideas by “connecting the dots” from previous experiences and creating value for her clients. — @NyembeziMu
derick.khumalo