George Mwanza: The Vocal and Competent Young Mayor of Chipata
Chipata is the main town and capital of Zambia’s Eastern Province. With a population of more than 150,000, the city chose to elect a 27-year-old as mayor in August 2021, in the person of George Mwanza.
Two years after his election, George Mwanza, who has the distinction of having been elected as an independent candidate, i.e., under the banner of no political party, continues to implement his vision: “For an inclusive, developed and better Chipata”.
This year of 2023, he has called for investment in the development and processing of agricultural products in his district, given the demographic expansion. For him, Chipata offers a stable market for crops such as maize, soya beans and groundnuts.
Acting as a youth ambassador in the continent, George Mwanza believes that the younger generation must take over the political arena. “Young people must not hesitate to put themselves forward as leaders. The young people of Africa must not shy away from taking the difficult path of struggle and ensuring that their voices are heard, because the real decision-makers are not just listeners and beneficiaries of youth programs and statements. Look, at the age of 27, I was able to go through the hard road of an election, beating old and rich people who are sometimes greedy and have no vision to transform lives and give us the Africa we want to see and that’s why I’m asking all young people not to be afraid because this is their continent and they are to blame if they don’t wear the mantle of leadership”. A statement that could not be clearer. The ball is in the court of young people.
At the continental level, George Mwanza is a member of the Young Elected Officials of Africa (YELO Network), where he was elected Vice-President for Sourthen Africa in October 2022. “The entire YELO presidency wants to work together to unite Africa by transforming the continent through our local governments. We want to make Africa proud by uniting”.
On 2 June 2023, he took part in a workshop organized by Kisumu County (Kenya) in partnership with UCLG Africa and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). During the debate that followed Afreximbank’s presentation, George Mwanza called for “a strong involvement of youth and women in project financing, but only through UCLG Africa, as Afreximbank’s delivery and implementation partner”.
The local official never misses an opportunity to advocate for youth empowerment. He hopes to see a strong presence of young local elected representatives at the next Conference of the Parties (COP 28), scheduled to take place in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December 2023.