Dr Lamulo Nsanja is a Research Fellow and Development Economist at the Centre for Social Research (CSR), University of Malawi, with over 16 years of professional experience in applied research, policy analysis, and the management of donor-funded programmes in health, education, social protection, nutrition, and livelihoods. His work focuses on generating rigorous empirical evidence to inform public policy, programme design, and implementation in low-income and fragile contexts.
At CSR, Dr Nsanja’s responsibilities encompass study conceptualisation and design, oversight of field operations, stakeholder engagement, data quality assurance, ethical compliance, and analytical reporting. He has extensive experience applying mixed-methods approaches and integrating quantitative and qualitative findings to produce policy-relevant insights and actionable recommendations for government, development partners, and implementing agencies. He also provides technical backstopping and peer review to ensure methodological rigour and analytical quality across CSR research outputs.
Prior to joining CSR, Dr Nsanja served for over a decade at KfW Development Bank in Malawi, including roles as Senior Country Economist and Portfolio Manager. In these capacities, he oversaw KfW’s financial cooperation portfolios in health, social protection, education, and nutrition, including the Health Services Joint Fund and the Social Cash Transfer Programme. He led analytical and evaluative work on programme performance, policy reforms, and results-based financing, and provided strategic technical advice to the Government of Malawi, development partners, and the German Federal Government. He also coordinated emergency response programming in health and social protection.
Dr Nsanja holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Malawi, with advanced training in econometrics and applied development economics. His research and policy interests include social protection systems, poverty and vulnerability analysis, impact evaluation, and the use of evidence to inform policy reform and programme effectiveness.
Selected publications:
Nsanja, L. (2022). Effects of education on fertility and labour supply: Evidence from Malawi. African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 10 (4).
Nsanja, L., Kaluwa, B.M., & Masanjala, W.H. (2021). Education sector foreign aid and economic growth in Africa. African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 9 (2).
Nsanja, L., Kaluwa, B.M., & Masanjala, W.H. (2021). Gender gap in agricultural productivity in Malawi. Int. Journal of Science Academic Research, vol. 2 (5).