Josephine Nseya Katumba is a visionary food systems leader transforming South Africa’s retail and sustainability landscape. As the driving force behind Gcwalisa, she is pioneering a refill-based retail model that makes high-quality food and essentials affordable for underserved communities while eliminating excess packaging and waste. By addressing the poverty tax—the inflated costs low-income households pay for everyday goods—Gcwalisa is not just providing food but reshaping access, dignity, and economic participation in South Africa’s most vulnerable areas. 

Under Josephine’s leadership, Gcwalisa has grown rapidly, expanding access to sustainable, low-cost shopping while empowering community-based organizations (CBOs) to run outlets as micro-enterprises. This model fosters local economic resilience, reducing reliance on external aid and proving that sustainability and affordability can coexist. Beyond affordability, Josephine has sparked a behavioral shift, championing zero-waste shopping and redefining how low-income communities engage with food and consumption. 

Her journey in food systems transformation began in 2019 when she founded Biakudia Urban Farming Solutions (BUFS), an initiative designed to reconnect urban dwellers with their food and environment through self-sufficient agriculture and waste reduction. Building on this foundation, she played a key role in conceptualizing and launching Gcwalisa through her leadership at Wakanda NPC. 

Josephine’s impact has been recognized on a global scale. In 2022, she was named one of Africa’s Brightest Young Minds by the World Food Programme, and in 2023, she was selected as a Mercedes-Benz BEVISIONEER Fellow, further amplifying her mission to create a more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable food system in Africa. Through innovation, advocacy, and enterprise, Josephine is proving that the future of food retail can be both just and regenerative—one refill at a time.