My Afrika Magazine is proud to celebrate one of our own, the Harare-based reporter and contributor, Chiedza Mukucha, who has been awarded first place in the Manager/Entrepreneur category of the prestigious 2025 Global Peter Drucker Challenge.

This annual essay competition invites young professionals and students from across the world to reflect on the future of management, leadership, and society. Chiedza’s winning essay, From Mbare’s Hustle to Digital Horizons: Embracing Zimbabwe’s Second Curve with Stoic Heart, stood out for its raw storytelling, sharp analysis, and deeply personal reflection on entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe’s informal economy.

Her victory comes with a €2,000 cash award, a waived-fee ticket to the 17th Global Peter Drucker Forum in Vienna this November, an invitation to the Gala Awards Ceremony, a one-year subscription to the Harvard Business Review, and full coverage of her international travel and accommodation costs. In Vienna, she will join global thought leaders, CEOs, scholars, and innovators, contributing her voice to conversations on leadership and transformation in the modern age.

In her essay, Chiedza revisits her entrepreneurial journey in Harare’s Mbare Musika, a bustling informal marketplace that contributes more than 60% of Zimbabwe’s GDP. She recalls how a $200 loan and a makeshift clothing stall gave her a firsthand understanding of the hustle that defines much of Zimbabwe’s economy.

“My stall was home, constructed from a $200 loan and an obstinate vision. But something was different… I spotted customers scrolling on their phones, eyes fixed on Instagram shops rather than mine,” she wrote.

That realization pushed her to embrace what management thinker Charles Handy calls the ‘Second Curve’, the idea that survival and growth require pivoting before your first curve of success declines. For Chiedza, that meant leaving the dust of Mbare for the digital world, creating Tsvete Threads, an online eco-fashion brand connecting Zimbabwean artisans to global buyers.

Her reflections are deeply shaped by Stoic philosophy, which she says became an anchor in Zimbabwe’s economic turbulence. “Stoicism was my anchor… I couldn’t control Zimbabwe’s power cuts or Aunt Rudo’s scowls, but I could control what was next. The Second Curve was not just a new journey, it was a new me.”

Chiedza’s recognition is not just a personal achievement but also a moment of pride for Zimbabwe and Africa at large. She joins a growing list of young Africans redefining global narratives about the continent’s innovation, resilience, and leadership. Other winners of the Drucker Challenge this year include Oluchi Nkeonye from Nigeria in second place and Kudakwashe Whitney Foya from Zimbabwe in third place, marking a remarkable showing for African voices on the global stage.

Her victory reflects the values at the heart of My Afrika Magazine: telling authentic African stories of perseverance, innovation, and progress. Her journey, from market vendor to global award-winning essayist, illustrates the transformative power of vision, resilience, and community. As she prepares to step onto the stage in Vienna this November, Chiedza carries with her the hustle of Mbare, the dreams of Zimbabwe’s youth, and the belief that Africa’s entrepreneurs can shape not only local economies but also global conversations.

At My Afrika Magazine, we celebrate her as both a storyteller and a changemaker, and we look forward to following her next “Second Curve.”