Dr.Dennis Kaputo Chiwele is a highly accomplished development economist and consultant with more than four decades of experience in economic policy, rural development, research management and programme evaluation across Zambia and the wider African region. He holds a D.Phil in Development Economics from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, an M.A. in International Economics from the International University of Japan and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with distinction from the University of Zambia. Throughout his career, he has provided strategic leadership and technical expertise to major international organisations including the African Development Bank, World Bank, UNDP, UNICEF, IFAD and the International Growth Centre. He currently serves as Executive Chairman of the RuralNet Group of Companies, where he mentors researchers and oversees quality assurance in consultancy assignments. His expertise spans development planning, poverty reduction, climate change adaptation, agriculture, monitoring and evaluation and socio-economic policy analysis. Dr. Chiwele has also contributed significantly to Zambia’s national development agenda through his involvement in the formulation and evaluation of national development plans and other large-scale policy initiatives