Africa Social Work and Development Awards

Get recognition for your African talent, innovation or passion.

2026 Awards Ceremony

The Mtandao Awards recognise excellence in African social work and social development. In 2026, for the first time, the awards will be presented in person at the Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development (SWSD 2026) in Nairobi, Kenya. The ceremony takes place on Monday 29 June 2026 at Booth 16, Tsavo Ballroom Exhibition Area, KICC Nairobi, from 11:05 to 11:25. The awards are facilitated by Meinrad Lembuka and Ropafadzo A Tome.

2026 Awardees

Award	Awardee	Country	Summary
Social Worker of the Year	Divine Kodjo Exorgbe	Ghana	National President of the Social Workers Association of Ghana (SWAG) and Municipal Head of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development for the Adenta Municipal Assembly in Accra. A prominent child protection advocate driving professional social work leadership across Ghana.
Lifetime Achievement Award	Professor Abye Tasse	Ethiopia / France	Former President of IASSW (2004–2008) and Chair of the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development (2010–2014 and 2020–2030). Rebuilt social work education in Ethiopia as founding Dean of the School of Social Work at Addis Ababa University in 2004, and has advanced the profession across Africa, Mauritania, and Congo.
Mzee Award	To be confirmed	Kenya	—
Decolonising Award	Professor Linda Hams Smith	South Africa	A scholar whose work applies decolonising frameworks to social work research and practice in Africa, challenging Eurocentric methodologies and centring African and indigenous knowledges in the production of knowledge.
Decolonising Award	Professor Emerita Linda Kreitzer	Canada	A pioneering scholar whose work has advanced the decolonisation of social work knowledge, education, and practice in Africa. Her contributions to the history and legacy of the Association of Social Work Education in Africa (ASWEA, 1965–1989) have helped reclaim and centre African intellectual heritage in the profession. Her scholarship challenges Eurocentric frameworks and builds the case for African-led knowledge systems in social work and social development.
Developmental Worker of the Year	Bikila Tesfaye	Ethiopia	A development practitioner with seven years of experience working with youth, people with disabilities, refugees, and host communities. As a youth training facilitator at the Development Expertise Center, Bikila delivered life skills, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship training, mobilising communities with limited resources to lasting impact.
Social Development Award	Vongai P Mangwiro	Zimbabwe	A lecturer and researcher at the University of Zimbabwe whose work spans mental health, disability, rehabilitation, drug and substance abuse, and children and adults in conflict with the law, advancing rights-based social development in Zimbabwe. Statement: ‘I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Africa Social Work and Development Network for nominating me to receive an award. I’m deeply humbled and incredibly grateful to accept the Social Development Award from the Social Development Network. To be recognized by an organization that has done so much to champion community progress, social integration, and empowerment is truly the highlight of my career. In the field of social work and development, our greatest successes are never achieved in isolation. I share this award with the dedicated colleagues, mentors, and community partners I’ve had the privilege to work alongside. This recognition isn’t just a celebration of past milestones; it is a profound motivation for the future. It strengthens my resolve to continue striving for equitable growth, poverty alleviation, and a society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Thank you once again to the Social Development Network for this incredible honour, and to all of you for your unwavering support and shared commitment to building a better, more inclusive world’.
Social Work Education Award	Thembelihle Brenda Makhanya	South Africa	Programme Leader and PhD holder from the University of KwaZulu-Natal who has built a decolonial Bachelor of Social Work programme grounded in African-centred knowledge, with extensive peer-reviewed publications on Ubuntu, climate justice, and inclusive higher education across Africa.
Student Award	Linah Mahlaola	South Africa	A Bachelor of Social Work student at UNISA committed to community development, who has volunteered with COSUP, the Department of Social Development, and advocacy campaigns for people with disabilities and older persons, combining learning with practice in South Africa.
Student Award	Tafadzwa Mhereyenyoka	Zimbabwe	A Level 4 social work student at the University of Zimbabwe whose research examines child protection service delivery in geographically extensive rural districts. Her work, grounded in field placement experience with Zimbabwe’s Department of Social Development, addresses structural barriers faced by both social workers and vulnerable families.
Service Award	ASWEA (1965–1989)	Pan-African	The Association of Social Work Education in Africa laid the groundwork for pan-African social work education and decolonised practice across the continent for over two decades. Mtandao honours ASWEA as its predecessor and continues its legacy through the Sankofa framework.
Service Award	IASSW	International	The International Association of Schools of Social Work is recognised for funding the Ubuntu Ushahidi Digital Project, advancing African knowledge sharing and decolonised social work education through Mtandao’s digital platform.
Service Award	Day of the African Child Conference Students Committee (DACCS)	Pan-African	Recognised for successfully hosting DACCS 2025 and DACCS 2026, with the 2026 event doubling to 28 presentations in 6.5 hours on 16 June 2026, focused on the African Union theme of Water and Sanitation, with students from Africa and beyond as participants, presenters, and chairs.

2024-2025 Awards Ceremony

Awards ceremony will be during the last hour of Day of the African Child Students Conference, 16 June 2025, 08AM-1230PM WAT | 09AM-130PM CAT/SAT | 10AM-230PM EAT on 16 June 2025

Award category	Awarded to
Social Worker of the Year	Ms Valary Cheptoo, Kenya
Lifetime Achievement Award	Prof. Rodreck Mupedziswa, Botswana/Zimbabwe
Social Development Award	Amanda Ndebele, South Africa
Social Work Education Award	Professor Chinwe Rosabelle Nwanna, Nigeria
Decolonising Award	Dr Charles Kalinganire, Rwanda
Student Award	Abdirahim Jirde, Somaliland/Somalia

2023 Awards Ceremony

Award	Awardees	Work summary
Social Worker of the Year	Thomas Nyangaresi Onsoti, Kenya Diploma and Degree in social work	Working with pit emptiers in Nairobi, Kenya and communities to manage environmental pollution and ensure better practices and policies.
Lifetime Achievement Award	No nomination received
Mzee Award	No nomination received
Decolonising Award	Dr Sharlotte Tusasiirwe, Uganda	She has created and produced substantial literature and publications in this area of decolonising social work in Africa which are aimed at increasing African voice, knowledge and literature in Africa and globally. Sharlotte has produced academic and non-academic outputs that advance decolonisation agenda in Africa. She has also dedicated time to organise seminars and symposia that enable knowledge exchange on decolonisation and beyond.
Developmental Work Award	Not awarded this year
Social Work Education Award	Dr Augustina Naami, Ghana	She has been an inspiration to her students, colleagues in academia, the disability, and the general community in Ghana and beyond, through her lived experiences. She is also the Head of the Department for Social Work, at the University of Ghana. She previously taught at the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls in the United States. She has led several educational research projects and mentored many students and academics. She has completed 2 PHD, 20 masters and 16 bachelors research supervisions. Dr. Naami has a total of thirty-four (34) publications consisting of one (1) book, six (6) book chapters, and twenty-seven (27) peer-reviewed journal articles. She has serviced on several educational committees.
Student Award	Organisers of the Conference: Day of the African Child Social Work and Development Conference 2023	Names •Danzel Rademan, University of the Free State, South Africa (Chairperson) •Atuhairwe Collins, Student, Master of Social Work, Makerere University, Uganda (Vice-Chairperson) •Never Winnie James Sebit, South Sudan; Bachelor in Social Work, RCSS, India (Secretary) •Tatenda Sukulao, Bachelor of Social Work, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe (Vice-Secretary) •Norman T. Manyika, Student, Bachelor of Social Work, University of Zimbabwe (Committee member) •Takudzwa Banda, Bachelor of Social Work, University of Zimbabwe (Committee member) •Ighalo Jennifer Benita, Bachelor of Social Wok, University of Benin, Nigeria
PhD Student Award	Not awarded this year
Service Award (for organisations or institutions)	Amy Foundation/Ubuntu Foundation, South Africa Official: Kevin Chaplin	The Amy Foundation is a non-profit organisation working to educate, train and develop youngsters from the townships, ensure they don’t drop out of school, or turn to drugs and gangs and to reduce the high levels of youth unemployment and create entrepreneurs our country needs so badly. Their after school programmes in Gugulethu and Bonteheuwel provide an environment that allows school-going children to overcome shortcomings in their education, by focusing on creativity. Their Youth Skills Development programme based at our Head office in Sybrand Park, helps young adults prepare for the world of work, employment and entrepreneurship.
Emerging Researchers Award	Willard Muntanga, Zimbabwe Kudza Mwapaura, Zimbabwe	Increase of research and research publications

2022 Awards Ceremony

List of Awardees 2022

Categories

This year we are expanding the awards to include:

1. Social Worker of the Year
2. Lifetime Achievement Award (for a person who has contributed significantly to social work and development in Africa for a long time in their life)
3. Mzee Award for an older person who is contributing or has contributed to social work and development in Africa).
4. Decolonising Award
5. Developmental Worker of the Year Award
6. Social Development Award
7. Community Worker Award (Ujamaa Award)
8. Social Work Education Award
9. Student Award
10. Research student of the year (honours, masters and PhD)
11. Service Award (for organisations or institutions)
12. Researcher of the Year
13. Emerging Researcher of the Year (growing research and research publications)

Instructions and Conditions of Award

We ask social workers and development workers who are impacting or have impacted the village, community, country, region, Africa or the world to nominate themselves or others or to accept nominations from the public. These are the key considerations for this award:

• The work was done in Africa.
• The work impacted or is impacting people positively as evidenced by testimonies, references, videos, pictures, news articles and statistics.
• There is varied evidence to support the application.

The persons awarded with certificates and will be invited to give a speech at one of our events.

To nominate, please use the web or downloadable form below before 31 March of the following year.

Selection Committee

• Augustina Naami, PhD, Department of Social Work, University of Ghana
• Mbongiseni Samuel Mngomezulu, Mpumalanga Department of Social Development, Standerton Sub-District Office, South Africa
• Thomas Simbeye, Regional Administration and Local Government, Social Welfare, Manyara Region, Mbulu District, Tanzania

Nomination Form for Africa Social Work and Development Awards