Norbert Weiss joined the team in Zambia in October 2023, after having worked in International Cooperation for over 20 years, in Africa, Germany, and Southeast Asia. He holds a Master of Arts in Development Studies, a Bachelor’s Degree, and Dual Vocational Certificate, in Mechanical Engineering.

From 2000-2009 he worked for the bilateral German Cooperation as technical advisor in Uganda and Ethiopia, before he went on as program manager in Vietnam and Botswana until 2014, in the areas of MSME and skills development. In the Philippines he led the country portfolio for a private sector foundation from 2015, filling the post of CEO, from 2020-2023. Norbert Weiss has worked in different positions, from advisor to management level, gaining experience in successful implementation of economic development projects, with partners on a multi-level approach.

Chambata Eric Mbizule is a Project Officer who joined the German Sparkassenstiftung (DSIK) in January 2019. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance from the University of Lusaka and a Professional Diploma in Banking and Financial Services from the Zambia Institute of Banking and Financial Services.

Before joining the German Sparkassenstiftung (DSIK), Chambata Mbizule interned with the Bank of Zambia under the Financial Sector Development Unit (FSDU) and later joined the Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO) where he worked for a year in the digital department with focus on Digital sales and migration. Among other skills, he is a trained Trainer of the DSIK Farmers Business Game Simulation.

Joseph Banda joined the team in June 2024 as a Project Officer, bringing with him a wealth of experience in Business Development, Strategic Stakeholder Management, Finance, Innovation, and Marketing. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and multiple certifications in fields such as Project Management, SME Development, and Business Analytics.

Joe has previously collaborated with us as a consultant for MENTORpreneur, playing an instrumental role in the formulation and success of the program. Prior to officially joining DSIK, he worked for KPMG as a Business Development and Marketing Associate. Additionally, Joe is an avid business consultant, providing expertise to businesses of various sizes and across multiple industries. 

Hannah Redders joined the team in Zambia in June 2021 after having worked with the Sparkassen Stiftung in an Agro-FinTech project in Mexico. She holds a Master of Commerce in Economics from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa and is currently presenting her thesis for the MSc Development Economics at Georg August University of Göttingen, Germany, researching risk perception of smallholder farmers in Limpopo, South Africa.

From 2019 onwards, she worked for the bi-national research project South African Limpopo Landscapes Network (SALLnet), where she formed part of the economic modelling team and assessed the different scenarios and risk management options for agriculture in the region with a focus on smallholder and subsistence farming. She completed internships at the German Embassy in Colombia, where she got acquainted with the German development cooperation and human rights affairs. During her Bachelor of Arts in International and Cultural Business Studies, Ms Redders worked in the customer care of the organic cereal start-up Mymuesli for more than 2 years, where she gained essential insight into entrepreneurship, customer satisfaction and social media campaigns.

As a scholar of the United Nations University’s programme ‘Southern Africa: towards inclusive economic development’, Ms Redders published a quantitative working paper titled ‘regional inequality and rural dependency in South Africa’.