When it comes to solving Africa’s supply chain and agtech challenges, ideas are not the problem. The real challenge is execution: having the right team, the right networks, and the resilience to turn vision into reality.
At Q2, we believe we have exactly that.
Written by The Q2 Editorial Team
Our Founder: Nthanda Manduwi
Q2 was founded by Nthanda Manduwi, a Malawian Storyteller, International Entrepreneur, former Microsoft and United Nations Professional, and current MBA Candidate at Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business — the #1 program in Supply Chain Management globally.
Holding a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship (Digital Transformation), Nthanda brings a rare combination of experience:
- Policy and systems: A background in international development working as a staff member with the United Nations and a project manager with the World Bank and the European Union, giving her insight into how governments and multilaterals shape ecosystems.
- Academic Expertise: Her Masters thesis explored the Entrepreneurial Opportunity in Africa’s Digital Transformation: Modelling Information Systems for Development.
- Corporate edge: Internal work experience as an MBA Business Development Manager at Microsoft Xbox, where she worked on global expansion strategy, developer acceleration, and market entry insights.
- Entrepreneurial DNA: Founder of the Bien Corporation Africa, Ntha Foundation and Kwathu Kollective, platforms that have already empowered thousands of young Africans in digital skills, creativity, and innovation.
- Thought leadership: A prolific author, with books that dissect systemic challenges (Systemic Nonsense, Feminine Silence, and Impossible Economies) while inspiring youth to navigate life’s transitions (By the End of Your Teens and Traversing Your Terrible Twenties).
Our CTOS
Q2’s technical vision is led by three CTOs: Ekari, Alvaro and Nomsa.
Gaming & Experience: Ekari Ngalawesa
Ekari Ngalawesa is the CTO of Gaming at Q2. A Malawian game developer, ICT innovator, and researcher whose work bridges hands-on systems expertise with academic leadership in Africa’s gaming industry.
Ekari brings a rare combination of experience:
- Technical execution: A career spanning both public and private sectors, including leading ICT functions at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, managing systems at Zamara Pensions Administrators Ltd., and implementing software solutions at Globe Computer Systems Ltd. His expertise spans software systems, database engineering, ICT administration, and video game development.
- Academic leadership: Holder of an MSc in Innovation from the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), where his thesis “Exploring Factors that Can Influence the Growth of the Video Game Industry in Malawi” became one of the first academic works mapping Malawi’s gaming potential. His research highlighted the need for government support, local studios, distribution networks, and eSports adoption to unlock Africa’s gaming economy.
- Innovation for impact: Beyond technical delivery, Ekari is passionate about building systems that create opportunity. His work reflects a belief that gaming and ICT can drive not only entertainment but also education, jobs, and cultural pride across Africa.
- Strategic relevance: By combining practical ICT execution with thought leadership, Ekari ensures Q2’s products are both globally competitive and locally grounded, designed for scalability across Malawi, Africa, and beyond.
His leadership at Q2 anchors the company’s ability to transform bold ideas into scalable, world-class games rooted in African realities.
Programs & Systems: Nomsa Nungu
Nomsa Nungu serves as them CTO of Programs & System Integration at Q2, leading program execution across our AI-driven supply chain, ag-tech, ed-tech, and gaming initiatives. With a background that bridges technology, operations, and policy, she ensures Q2’s projects move from vision to execution with precision.
Nomsa brings a diverse set of experiences:
- Program & Policy Systems: Former IT Officer in Malawi’s Office of the President and Cabinet, where she enhanced national dashboards and digital workflows, supporting rural development programs that reached over 19M citizens.
- Product & Design: Managed the Digital Skills for Africa LMS (funded by the World Bank through Ntha Foundation), improving accessibility for 500K+ learners across Africa. She also designed digital products like the UNFPA-funded Tilitonse GBV one-stop center serving 50,000+ refugees.
- Event & Stakeholder Coordination: At KETASE, she coordinated high-profile events like GTiM (350+ investors) and the Maverick City Tour (3,000+ attendees, including Malawi’s First Lady).
- Global Academic Lens: Currently pursuing a Master’s in International Development at Yeungnam University (South Korea), blending global policy frameworks with Q2’s African-centered innovation.
Nomsa’s cross-functional leadership allows Q2 to align technical, creative, and policy teams under a unified roadmap. She ensures that every Q2 project — from Kwathu Farms simulations to smart village systems — is delivered with rigor, scale, and impact.
Farming & Engineering: Alvaro Chukwuebuka Anaenugwu
Alvaro Anaenugwu is the CTO of Farming & Engineering at Q2 Corporation, where he leads the development of Kwathu Smart Innovation Village Farms — the backbone of Q2’s real-world agricultural systems.
Alvaro Anaenugwu is the CTO of Farming & Engineering at Q2, where he leads the development of Kwathu Smart Innovation Village Farms — the backbone of Q2’s real-world agricultural systems.
Álvaro brings a powerful mix of mechanical engineering expertise and sustainable farming innovation:
- Smart Irrigation Systems: Spearheaded the design and prototyping of solar-powered irrigation systems for Q2’s pilot farms, projected to boost yields by 40% across multiple plots.
- Greenhouse Innovation: Designing greenhouse layouts and airflow systems and environmental data, optimizing year-round crop performance.
- Industry Experience: Engineering roles at First Solar (R&D on panel efficiency) and SmithGroup (HVAC design for real-world infrastructure projects), applying mechanical design to renewable and scalable systems.
- Academic Edge: Studying Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University, where he also serves as a Teaching Assistant in Engineering.
Alvaro’s expertise ensures that Q2’s farming backbone is technically sound, sustainable, and scalable. By bridging solar, irrigation, and greenhouse engineering, he provides the real-world data and infrastructure that power Q2’s symbiosis of systems + simulations.
The Kwathu Kollective Advantage
Q2 is not being built in isolation. It is part of the Kwathu Kollective — a pan-African innovation network that nurtures creators, coders, entrepreneurs, and storytellers.
Kwathu’s track record speaks for itself:
- Running the M’mawa Apprenticeship Program and Nyenyezi Entrepreneurship Fellowship; now adopted by Malawian universities as official pipelines from classrooms to careers.
- Hosting innovation hubs and creative fellowships that bring together youth, governments, and industry.
- Representing Africa on global stages like Xbox Gamecamp Africa, where Kwathu is positioning the continent not just as a consumer of gaming, but as a creator of new intellectual property.
By rooting Q2 within Kwathu, we ensure that our supply chain and agtech innovations are powered by Africa’s brightest minds, not just imported blueprints.
A Global Board and Network
Behind Q2 is a global advisory board that brings together expertise from the United Nations, Big Tech, academia, and African industry.
This board gives Q2 access to:
- Policy networks across Africa, critical for scaling Smart Village Farms in partnership with governments.
- Corporate know-how from leaders who have built products, scaled technologies, and managed billion-dollar portfolios.
- Academic rigor from institutions like MSU, ensuring that our models are grounded in tested supply chain frameworks.
This blend of governance ensures Q2 is not just visionary, but also credible, accountable, and scalable.
Why We Are the Best Team to Actualize This
- Systems fluency: We understand how governments, donors, corporates, and startups intersect — and how to navigate those systems.
- Execution experience: From running apprenticeships to building hubs to managing global partnerships, we know how to move from ideas to action.
- Resilient leadership: A founder who has survived turbulence and emerged stronger — turning transitions into strategy, and challenges into clarity.
- Continental relevance: A team spread across Malawi, the U.S., and Africa, reflecting both local depth and global breadth.
The problems we are tackling — food security, supply chain inefficiency, youth unemployment, Africa’s place in global innovation — are too big for any one actor.
But Q2 is not just any actor. We are a company led by a founder who has lived the challenges, a collective that has already mobilized youth innovation, and a board that brings the weight of global experience.
That’s why we believe we are the best team to make this happen.
Want to Work with Us?
Investors & partners: Work with Q2 to scale Malawi pilots, co-finance Smart Village nodes, and co-publish Q2 Sims across mobile app stores and console portals: invest@q2corporation.com
Developers & creators: Join Kwathu Kollective as we build Africa’s ag-simulation franchise.
Public sector & donors: Co-fund digital extension and IoT at the last mile to de-risk farmer adoption. Get in touch: contact@kwathu.org
Together, let’s future-proof global communities through smart farming and innovative play.
