In the grand tableau of youthful leadership shaping Africa’s future, Chido Cleopatra Mpemba emerges as a distinguished force—a strategist, diplomat, and unrelenting advocate seamlessly merging innovation, empathy, and policy.
Born in July 1988 at Mbuya Nehanda Clinic in Harare and raised in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Chido completed her secondary studies at Girls’ College High School before earning a degree in Labour Organisational Psychology and Human Resource Management from the University of Cape Town.
Her pursuit of excellence reached new heights during her time as a Mandela Washington Fellow, where she studied leadership at Dartmouth College in 2016, followed by an MBA from Midlands State University and further postgraduate work in Public Diplomacy and Sustainable Development through LUISS and UN training.
Chido’s professional journey began in finance, where she served as a Senior Manager at Standard Chartered Bank (2012–2019), spearheading a pivotal risk digitization initiative across a multi-million-dollar portfolio.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she transitioned to public service, briefly advising Zimbabwe’s Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation—Kirsty Coventry—before stepping onto the continental stage.
In November 2021, the African Union Chairperson appointed Chido as the Special Envoy on Youth—the youngest diplomat ever to join the AUC Chairperson’s Cabinet—a role she held until mid-2025.
She championed the youth-focused pillars of Agenda 2063 with impact—driving digital transformation, mental health initiatives, and gender parity in governance. Under her leadership:
- She launched the Make Africa Digital (MAD) campaign, equipping over 8,000 youth across nine countries with critical digital skills, and presented a policy brief on Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Youth Development at the UN in September 2024 .
- She co-created a Mental Health Toolkit addressing five pressing psychosocial challenges facing African youth—now used globally for support and resilience .
- She advocated to include young people and women on AU’s Procurement Board, saw a 45% rise in youth election observers during a sweeping election year, and contributed to increasing women’s appointments in political leadership across the continent .
- She began “Socials With a Purpose (SWAP)” dialogues—roundtable engagements with partners like Mercedes-Benz to tackle gender-based violence, mental health, and youth empowerment .
September 2023 marked another milestone for Chido as she was appointed Co-Chair and Commissioner of the WHO’s brand-new Commission on Social Connection, where she helped drive the first-ever global health resolution addressing social isolation—a ground-breaking global focus on loneliness and mental wellness.
She also received the 2022 Team54Project International Environmental Leadership Award for her environmental advocacy and youth mobilization efforts—including being instrumental in securing support for the “loss and damage” agenda during COP27.
On the leadership front, she sits on the boards of multiple global institutions, including Plan International, Inc, the Old Mutual Youth Fund, Generation Unlimited’s Global Leadership Council, and Africa Reach, besides being trained as a Climate Reality Leader and security strategist through U.S. institutions.
Chido Cleopatra Mpemba embodies a rare blend of youthful purpose and strategic acumen. She’s not only amplifying African youth voices in global spaces—she’s also building the tools, networks, and policies that empower them to lead.
Her multifaceted leadership—from AI literacy and mental health to climate action and representation—signals a shift: Africa’s next generation isn’t waiting for change—they are creating it.
