AGRA

Maziko Phiri is the Country Manager for AGRA in Zambia, where he assumed the role in April 2024. A Zambian national, Maziko holds a Master of Business Administration in Strategic and Operations Management, a Bachelors in Agricultural Engineering, and Professional certification in Project Management.

With over 15 years of experience in international development, Maziko has an extensive background in technical services and programme management in agriculture and industrial development. Prior to joining AGRA, he served his professional career as Team Leader and Agribusiness Specialist for the Market Improvement and Innovation Facility and Agricultural Development Support Project supported by the World Bank in Zambia. He then transitioned to a key role as project coordinator on enterprise development under Sustainable and Inclusive Growth at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where he provided valuable expertise in achieving project execution. His career also includes serving as project manager for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) on Climate Resilience under Environment and Energy with UNDP. Most recently, he held the position of Country Coordinator for United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) UNIDO in Zambia.

In his current role, Maziko represents AGRA in Zambia where he leads strategy and programs to support sustainable development of agriculture and food systems. His main roles include providing strategic planning, execution and oversight, and steering collaborations with government, private sector, development partners, donors, civil society and academia. AGRA support to Zambia is intentional in increasing investments in the agriculture sector, provide support to implementation of the Comprehensive Agricultural Transformation Support Program – CATSP (2024 – 2033), strengthen institutional capacity to drive agricultural transformation, drive inclusive markets, trade and finance, and contribute to efforts in agriculture resilience.

He is dedicated to representing AGRA towards achieving its mission in building sustainable food systems in Africa and delivering its contribution to the growth of smallholder farmers.