The United States of America has honoured Zimbabwean Freedom Mukanga with the 2025 Mandela Washington Fellowship Impact Award for exceptional leadership, community impact, and efforts to strengthen ties between African changemakers and U.S. partners.
Mukanga is the first Zimbabwean to receive the award since the programme’s inception in 2014.
“Today, we are proud to honour Freedom Mukanga, the first Zimbabwean exchange alumnus to receive this award,” said U.S. Ambassador Pamela Tremont at a ceremony hosted by the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday.
“This prestigious recognition is reserved for one exceptional leader among more than 7,800 alumni across Africa whose work strengthens economic growth, advances democratic governance, and deepens regional collaboration,” she said.
Ambassador Tremont said Mukanga was recognised for his outstanding ability to leverage programme connections with American professionals in hydrometeorology, entrepreneurship, and agriculture to strengthen partnerships across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Mukanga is the founder and chief executive officer of FreedPer Scientific, a leading provider of advanced weather observation systems and meteorological data across Africa. Through collaborations with U.S. partners including Campbell Scientific, Synoptic Data, and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, he has strengthened Zimbabwe’s disaster preparedness and improved weather data collection techniques.
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The ambassador said Mukanga’s engagement extends beyond science and technology. By working with U.S. educational institutions to provide training and upskilling opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs and poultry farmers, he has expanded opportunities for American investors, strengthened U.S.–Zimbabwe trade and economic cooperation, and implemented initiatives to enhance food security.
“On behalf of the United States Embassy, I am delighted to present you with the 2025 Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Impact Award. Congratulations,” Ambassador Tremont said while handing over the award.
Mukanga is a 2022 Mandela Washington Fellow and was placed at the University of Iowa under the Business and Entrepreneurship track. Ambassador Tremont noted that during his time in the United States, Mukanga greatly valued the University of Iowa and the broader Iowa community’s commitment to helping fellows develop practical skills, including pitching ideas for economic prosperity.
“After completing the fellowship, he continued to benefit from guidance from university mentors—support that has been instrumental in scaling his entrepreneurial ventures and creating meaningful impact in Zimbabwe,” she said.
Accepting the award, Mukanga said it was the first major recognition he had received.
“This is my first-ever award, and I would like to thank everyone I have worked with to make this possible,” he said. “I also want to thank my family for supporting me throughout this journey.”
Mukanga is currently chairperson of the U.S. Exchange Alumni Association, representing a network of more than 2,500 alumni driving positive change through job creation, mentorship, and alumni-led initiatives.
In 2023, he and his team implemented an Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund project that trained more than 400 entrepreneurs across Zimbabwe in collaboration with fellow exchange alumni. In 2024, he worked closely with the U.S. Embassy’s Public Diplomacy Section to host the Gilman Alumni Food Security Seminar, which was recognised by colleagues in Washington, D.C., as a best practice for its strong content and seamless execution.
According to Ambassador Tremont, Mukanga has proven to be a bridge-builder between the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa, exemplifying the power of leveraging American expertise and partnerships to advance shared prosperity.