South Africa
Thokozile Nhlumayo is a political and social justice advocate who has contributed significantly to shaping South Africa and the continent of Africa’s political and leadership landscape. She is the founder of the #NotTooYoungToLead Movement, a movement aimed towards holding governments in Africa accountable on the number of young people they have in office. She also serves as Secretary General of the International Youth Parliament, an organization of 45 countries in Africa that advocates for young people’s meaningful engagement in political, leadership, and decision-making capacities. The African Union acknowledged the International Youth Parliament as one of the top 70 institutions contributing to Africa’s leadership and political growth. Thokozile also launched the LGBTQ+ Political Leaders Program in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia, which seeks to achieve full equality for LGBTQ+ people by building, supporting, and advancing a diverse network of LGBTQ+ public leaders. Thokozile’s passion for advocating for the inclusion of young people in leadership roles was developed by her own experiences of being denied public office opportunities due to age and gender.
