Key takeaways
- Emmanuel Zulu is contesting the EAZ National Vice Presidency for the 2026 to 2028 term, to be decided at the September AGM in Livingstone.
- He is Economic Governance Lead at the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction, with 15 years across economic policy, competition economics and public finance.
- His campaign centres on membership value: networking, mentorship, peer learning, research exchange and opportunities for young economists.
- He wants EAZ to be a more visible professional voice in national economic debate and better connected to regional associations and think tanks.
- His five-part vision is an EAZ that is relevant, inclusive, member-centred, visible and connected.
Emmanuel Zulu, an economics and business management practitioner with 15 years of professional experience, believes the Economics Association of Zambia can do more for its members while strengthening its place in Zambia’s economic and public-policy debate. He is asking members to elect him National Vice President for the 2026 to 2028 term at the elective AGM in Livingstone on 3 to 4 September.
His campaign focuses on stronger membership benefits, energetic leadership, stakeholder collaboration, evidence generation and closer relationships with economics associations and think tanks in the region.
Behind those commitments is a career spanning economic-policy analysis, competition economics and public finance. Zulu has worked in public institutions, the private sector and civil society, giving him experience across different parts of Zambia’s economic and institutional environment. He says this exposure has strengthened his belief that economists should have a stronger platform from which to contribute evidence, ideas and practical solutions to national development challenges.
Fifteen years across economic policy and public finance
Zulu currently serves as Economic Governance Lead at the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction, where his responsibilities include generating evidence for policy dialogue and advocacy on economic and fiscal governance. His professional work has covered economic-policy analysis, national budget analysis, tax equity, public debt sustainability, social protection and inclusive trade, issues at the centre of many of Zambia’s economic-policy debates.
For Zulu, that experience has reinforced the importance of economists participating more actively in public discourse. His pitch to EAZ members is therefore not simply about occupying a leadership position. It is about using the Association as a stronger professional platform for economists to contribute to Zambia’s economic conversation.
Academic and professional background
Zulu holds a Master of Business Administration with Economics and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics, along with a Postgraduate Certificate in Competition Policy and Law and a Postgraduate Certificate in Monitoring and Evaluation. His professional and academic background brings together economics, business management, competition policy, public finance and policy evaluation. He says he would bring to the position a commitment to credible analysis, constructive engagement, collaboration and service.
For EAZ members, the more important question is what that experience would mean for the Association. His campaign attempts to answer it through a five-part vision for an EAZ that is relevant, inclusive, member-centred, visible and connected.
Putting membership benefits higher on the agenda
One of the clearest themes of the campaign is the call for a more member-centred EAZ. Professional associations ultimately depend on whether members can see value in belonging to them, and Zulu wants EAZ to respond more directly to the professional needs, ideas and aspirations of its membership.
His campaign proposes stronger platforms for:
- Professional networking
- Mentorship
- Peer learning
- Research exchange
- Economic-policy dialogue
- Professional development
- Opportunities for young and emerging economists
The underlying message is straightforward: EAZ membership should create opportunities. Zulu argues that members should not only belong to the Association but also have meaningful opportunities to participate in its work, contribute ideas, share research and develop professional networks. For younger economists, he sees EAZ as a potential bridge between academic training and professional practice. For experienced economists, the Association can provide a platform for mentorship, knowledge sharing and contribution to national economic debates.
An Association that reaches across generations and sectors
Zulu describes his preferred EAZ as an inclusive Association that actively engages economists across generations, sectors, institutions and provinces. Economists work across government, academia, banking, civil society, consulting, development institutions and private companies, and each group brings a different perspective to economic questions. His vision is for EAZ to become a professional meeting point where those perspectives can be brought together.
Such an approach could allow senior economists to share experience, younger professionals to build networks and members working outside Lusaka to participate more meaningfully in Association activities. For Zulu, inclusion is not simply about numbers. It is about ensuring members can participate and see value regardless of where they work or what stage they have reached in their careers.
Making EAZ more visible in national economic debate
Zulu is also campaigning for a more visible Economics Association of Zambia, one that is more active in public-policy dialogue, research dissemination and engagement with government, academia, civil society, the private sector and development partners. Zambia regularly confronts difficult policy questions around the national budget, public debt, taxation, employment, investment, trade, social protection and economic growth, and Zulu believes EAZ has the professional expertise within its membership to contribute more consistently to those discussions.
Under his vision, the Association would increasingly become a platform through which economists can bring professional analysis into public debate, with the ambition of being recognised as a trusted professional voice when important economic questions are being discussed.
From members’ research to policy influence
A central component of the campaign is evidence generation. Zulu wants EAZ to strengthen platforms through which members can share research, exchange ideas and contribute solutions on issues affecting Zambia. Among the areas identified in his candidate profile are:
- Public finance
- Employment
- Investment
- Trade
- Social protection
- Sustainable economic growth
That agenda could give economists working in universities, government institutions, businesses, research organisations and civil society a common professional platform for presenting evidence and exchanging views, and could increase the visibility of research being undertaken by individual members. Zulu’s broader argument is that EAZ should not merely react to economic developments. It should contribute evidence while policies and national economic choices are being debated.
Stronger stakeholder collaboration and a regional reach
The campaign also places considerable emphasis on collaboration, proposing stronger relationships with government institutions, universities, private-sector organisations, civil society, development partners and other professional bodies as a way of expanding the Association’s reach and influence. For members, stronger institutional relationships could create more opportunities for professional interaction, research collaboration, knowledge exchange and participation in economic-policy discussions.
Zulu also wants EAZ to strengthen collaboration with economics associations and think tanks across the region. Trade, investment, public debt, energy, climate-related pressures and regional integration all require economists to exchange ideas across countries, and regional collaboration could give members greater exposure to research partnerships, professional networks, conferences and wider policy discussions, while giving Zambian economists a stronger platform in regional economic conversations.
Young and energetic leadership
Zulu’s campaign material places young and vibrant leadership among his commitments, though his own description of leadership goes beyond age. He says leadership requires someone who can listen, mobilise, collaborate and follow through, and his argument is that leadership should ultimately produce results members can see.
A five-part vision for EAZ
If elected, Zulu says he will support the EAZ President and Executive Committee in building an Association that is:
- Relevant. A trusted professional voice on major economic issues affecting Zambia.
- Inclusive. An Association that engages economists across generations, sectors, institutions and provinces.
- Member-centred. An organisation responsive to the professional needs, ideas and aspirations of its members.
- Visible. An Association that participates more actively in policy dialogue, research dissemination and engagement with key stakeholders.
- Connected. A platform that strengthens mentorship, networking, peer learning and opportunities for young and emerging economists.
The choice for EAZ members
The contest for the EAZ vice presidency is ultimately about what members expect from their professional association over the next two years. Zulu is asking them to support an EAZ that is more active in national economic discussions, more connected to stakeholders and more deliberate about creating professional opportunities for its membership. His professional record covers economic policy, public finance, competition economics and evidence-based advocacy, and his campaign seeks to translate that background into a broader programme for the Association.
He summarises his ambition in a simple campaign message: “Driving EAZ growth, advancing membership opportunities.” His wider vision is equally clear: inclusive leadership, a stronger professional voice and a more vibrant EAZ. The decision now rests with EAZ members, who will determine whether his combination of membership development, policy engagement, professional collaboration and regional outreach represents the direction they want the Association to take.
Emmanuel Zulu’s pitch to EAZ members
For Zulu, the argument for his candidature comes down to the future role of the Association:
- Can EAZ provide greater professional value to its members?
- Can it create more opportunities for younger and emerging economists?
- Can it make greater use of the expertise already within its membership?
- Can it strengthen its voice in Zambia’s economic-policy debate?
- And can it build stronger relationships at home and across the region?
These are the questions at the centre of his campaign for National Vice President. As EAZ members prepare to make their choice for the 2026 to 2028 term, Emmanuel Zulu is asking them to back his vision of an Association that is relevant, inclusive, member-centred, visible and connected.
Editor’s note: This candidate feature is based on biographical information and campaign material supplied in support of Emmanuel Zulu’s candidature. Statements concerning future EAZ programmes and priorities are campaign proposals by the candidate.
Related coverage
- ZIPAR Comes On Board as Sponsor of EAZ’s 2026 AGM in Livingstone
- EAZ Opens Nominations for 2026 Elective Extra-Ordinary General Meeting
- EAZ Elections 2026: Why Its Rulebook Needs Fixing First
WARNING! All rights reserved. This material and all other digital content on this website may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, in whole or in part, without the prior express permission of The Zambian Economist. Where permission is granted, the content must be clearly credited to “The Zambian Economist,” with “www.zambianeconomist.com” prominently displayed.
WhatsApp: +260775574228 | Email: info@zambianeconomist.com
© 2026 The Zambian Economist.
