Professor Manenga Ndulo

is the Executive Director of SAIPAR since 2012 and a Professor of Economics at the University of Zambia. He holds a PhD in Economics from Michigan State University, an MA from the University of Cincinnati, and a BA from the University of Zambia. A leading scholar and educator, he has supervised numerous postgraduate students and held senior academic roles, including Head of Department and Dean. His research focuses on trade policy, industrial development, and the Zambian economy, with extensive publications in these areas. At SAIPAR, he provides strategic leadership for research, programmes, and institutional development, with a strong focus on economic policy and development in Southern Africa.

Caesar Cheelo

Is the Director of Strategy and Resource Mobilisation, and Senior Research Fellow at SAIPAR since 2012. He holds a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, and combines over two decades of economic research, policy analysis and project leadership with a strong record of converting ideas into funded, implementable programmes. At SAIPAR, he led the mobilisation of US$1 million from the Ford Foundation and subsequently directed the Zambia Democratic Governance Project across six components. He currently leads an Embassy of Ireland-supported initiative developing economic databases, automated data pipelines and analytical dashboards, and contributes to SAIPAR’s assessment of FCDO influencing and diplomacy in Zambia. As an international consultant elsewhere, among other things, he led the structuring and establishment of a US$30 million World Bank-financed statistical capacity project for ZamStats and earlier contributed to mobilising €82.6 million in EU development funding for 16 and 17 COMESA Member States under the 9th and 10th EDF programmes. He is a member of the Bank of Zambia Board of Directors and chairs the Board’s Governance and Risk Committee.

Dr. Marja Hinfelaar 

is the Director of Research and Programmes at SAIPAR, Lusaka, Zambia, since 2012. Marja received her PhD in History in 2001 from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, where her dissertation focused on the history of women’s organisations in urban Zimbabwe. In 2007-2008, she was a Fellow at the Centre for African Studies at the University of Cambridge. She is the co-editor of 'One Zambia, Many Histories. Towards a History of Post-colonial Zambia' (Brill, Leiden 2008), co-author of 'Governing Extractive Industries: Politics, Histories, Ideas' (Oxford University Press, 2018) and co-editor of 'Democracy and Electoral Politics in Zambia' (Brill, 2020), among many other books. She has published over 25 articles and is a long-term member of the editorial board of the Journal of Southern African Studies and the Zambia Social Science Journal. She oversees all research and programs at SAIPAR, which has an interdisciplinary focus on economics, law and politics/social sciences. Her current focus is on political-economy analysis of government institutions and policies. Marja has been a resident of Zambia since 1997.

Dr. Dale Mudenda 

is the Associate Director for Economics and Development at SAIPAR and a Lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Zambia. He received his PhD in Economics from the University of Cape Town. He is a specialist in international trade, industrial policy and development economics; he has published extensively on trade policy reform, industrialisation, commodity markets (particularly copper), financialisation, border economies and related macroeconomic issues in Zambia and Southern Africa. He has previously served as Head of the Department of Economics at the University of Zambia. He also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Value in Health Regional Issues, representing the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. At SAIPAR, he leads research and programmes in the Economics and Development Division, with a focus on evidence-based analysis of trade, industrial development and economic policy.

Dr. Tinenenji Banda

is the Associate Director for Law and Justice at SAIPAR. She holds a Doctor of Science of Law (JSD) and Master of Laws (LLM) from Cornell University, USA, and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She is an Advocate of the High Court of Zambia and an Attorney and Counsellor of the New York State Bar.

Dr Banda has over sixteen years of experience in legal research and consulting. She has led multi-disciplinary research teams and provided technical assistance to the World Bank, UNDP, UNICEF, EU, GIZ, and Irish Aid, among others. She is currently serving as a Researcher for the European Research Council’s  "Off-Bench" project and is a Senior Legal Expert for the Support to Electoral Dispute Resolution – Zambia (SEDROBZ) programme. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of AFRODAD (African Forum and Network on Debt and Development).

Her scholarship spans peer-reviewed chapters, journal articles, policy papers and an edited volume (Elections and Politics in Zambia, Brill 2021), and her research interests include judicial administration, legal pluralism, dispute resolution, anti-corruption, and natural resource governance. She has published with leading international publishers, including Oxford University Press (forthcoming), Routledge, Brill, and Elsevier, and has contributed a reference work in the International Encyclopaedia of the Social & Behavioural Sciences.

Dr. O'Brien Kaaba

Is the Associate Director for the  Political and Social Change Department at SAIPAR since 2018, and a Lecturer in the School of Law at the University of Zambia since 2016. He received his Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree in 2016 from the University of South Africa, his LLM from the University of Zambia and his LLB from the University of London. Before academia, he worked for various cooperating partners, including the US Department of State, the German Development Cooperation and the National Democratic  Institute for International Affairs (NDI). A leading scholar in constitutional law, electoral governance and human rights, he has authored more than 40 journal articles, book chapters, books and policy briefs. He serves as Managing Editor of the SAIPAR Case Review and sits on several academic journal editorial boards. At SAIPAR, he leads research on politics, governance, constitutionalism and democratic institutions, with a current focus on comparative constitutional law, electoral justice, African regional governance, human rights, judicial institutions and the promotion of the rule of law across Africa. In 2024, he was nominated and appointed as a distinguished visiting African scholar by Cornell University's Institute for African Development.

Hope Mubanga 

Is the Project Manager at SAIPAR since 2015. Hope received her Master’s degree in International Relations from Webster University in 2003. She has extensive experience in democratic governance, elections and institutional strengthening across Africa, having worked on election observation and conflict prevention missions with the African Union and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA). She is co-editor of A Revolution Revisited: The State of Democracy in Zambia since 1991 (Idasa, 2013) and contributed to The State of Democracy in Zambia (FODEP & UNZAPAS, 2011), among other publications. At SAIPAR, she manages projects focused on democratic governance and elections, including the pioneering SEDROBZ I project and its continuation under SEDROBZ II (2026), supporting fair and credible elections in Zambia.

Lungowe Anakoka 

is the Head of Finance and Administration at SAIPAR since 2025. She obtained her ACCA qualification in 2013 from the Lesotho Centre for Accounting Studies. Previously, she worked as a Senior Financial Accountant and Finance Officer for international NGOs and institutions, including DAI and the Zambia Health Education and Communication Trust (ZHECT). In her current role, she oversees the coordination and management of the Institute’s administration and finance functions. Her professional interests lie in economics and finance. She is a member of the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZICA) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Mukosha Funga 

is the Head of Communication at SAIPAR since 2025. Mukosha received her Master’s in Mass Communication in 2025 from the University of Zambia, where her thesis focused on the role of investigative journalism in holding public office-bearers accountable. Before joining SAIPAR, she served as Managing Editor at News Diggers newspaper from 2018 to 2025. In her current role, she develops creative ways to communicate highly technical research findings to the public, including through SAIPAR’s podcast, newsletter, and events that engage journalists and other stakeholders. Her areas of expertise are strategic communication and writing; she also has a strong interest in law and justice and is currently in her third year of law school.

Misheck Phiri

Is the Finance and Administrative Assistant at SAIPAR since 2025. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (2019) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation (2026). His postgraduate research focused on a process evaluation of a local NGO in Chawama. Before joining SAIPAR, he worked with USAID Local Impact as a Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant from 2024 to 2025, where he also supported the finance division by organising interns and preparing financial documentation. His main responsibilities include preparing statutory reports, coordinating officers, and generating finance reports. His areas of expertise and professional interest are finance, monitoring and evaluation, and data analysis.

Lottie Nabulwe

Is the Accounts Assistant at SAIPAR since 2024. Lottie received his Bachelor's in Accounts in 2025 from the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants. Before joining SAIPAR, He served as an accounts officer at iShop from 2023 to 2024. In his current role, he is responsible for the preparation of financial statements. He has a strong interest in taxation. He is a member of the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants. 

Charles Simwanza

is a Research Associate in SAIPAR’s Economic Development Division since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with Mathematics and a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Zambia. He is currently a Doctoral Researcher on the African Extractivism and the Green Transition projects, exploring Zambia’s potential for industrial upgrading within regional and global battery-minerals value chains. Previously, Charles worked as a Research Assistant on the Resource Nationalism in Southern Africa project (2020-2023). His research interests include industrial organisation and policy, international economics, development economics, and political economy. He has experience researching and contributing to projects on multiple aspects of Zambia’s mining and industrial sectors, including fiscal regimes, institutional capacity and innovation, local content, gender, and SME development. He has also worked on projects on Macroeconomic Modelling Capacity Enhancement, Poverty and Livelihood Support, and Public Finance and Debt Management. At SAIPAR, Charles conducts economic research and policy analysis, and assists the Associate Director with coordinating research activities in the Economic Development Division. He also participates in interdisciplinary projects led by other divisions (such as the Law and Justice Division and Politics and Social Change Division). His other duties include planning, organising, and facilitating workshops, symposiums, seminars, and conferences; providing policy-relevant insights and advice to public officials; and conducting and coordinating research fieldwork. 

Derrick Bwalya

is a Research Associate at SAIPAR since 2023. He holds a Master of Science in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of Zambia (2023), where his thesis focused on livelihood diversification to combat the impacts of climate change in Siachitema Chiefdom, Kalomo District, Southern Province. He has co-authored a number of publications and previously worked as a research assistant and co-researcher on groundwater studies. He has coordinated over ten projects in the environment, population and health spheres. At SAIPAR, he participates in research work, with responsibilities that include supervision, conducting interviews, and writing policy briefs and reports. His areas of expertise centre on environmental issues, with a particular interest in the interlinkages between environment, population, health and agriculture.

Mwami Kabwabwa 

is a Research Associate and Project Coordinator in the Legal Division at SAIPAR since 2023. Mwami received her Master of Laws in Commercial Law from the University of Zambia in 2024, where her thesis focused on Law, Rhetoric, and the Public Sphere.  She coordinates the Zambia Legal Information Institute (ZambiaLII) Project, overseeing the collection, publication and dissemination of legal information, and engages with the Judiciary, National Assembly, public institutions and international partners to promote open access to law and advance access to justice. Before her current role, she served as a Muna Ndulo Fellow at SAIPAR, contributing to empirical legal research and access-to-justice initiatives. She is the author of the discussion paper Child Labour in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in Zambia (2026), co-author of the Legal Media Handbook: Reporting on Court and Legal Developments in Zambia (2023), and has published seven case commentaries in the SAIPAR Case Review Journal, covering areas including constitutional law, criminal law, gender justice, judicial accountability, and family law. Her research interests include law and society, judicial behaviour, children’s rights, access to justice, and open access to legal information.

Steward Hamwandi 

Is the Executive Assistant at SAIPAR since 2025. Steward received his Diploma in Human Resources in 2013 from the National Institute of Public Administration, where his case study focused on the management in charge of waste management in Lusaka. Before joining SAIPAR, He served as a research assistant for the social cash transfer program under the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services in 2021 and as a researcher for the youth empowerment program under the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health from 2017 to 2019. In his current role, he is in charge of the day-to-day administration of the  SAIPAR and procurement unit. He has a strong interest in procurement and administration and is currently pursuing a degree in purchasing and supply at the National Institute of Public Administration.

Francis Mulenga

Is the Administrative Assistant at SAIPAR since 2021. He has a Craft certificate in Automotive Mechanics, which he obtained in 2008 at Lusaka Trades. Before joining SAIPAR, he worked as a mechanic at Sanva Motor Services and Repairs from  2013 to 2018. In his current role, he is in charge of transport and logistics. He has a strong interest in transport and logistics and is currently conducting a study on the intricacies of electric motor vehicles. He is also currently pursuing a degree in transport and logistics at ZCAS University.