Elizabeth Mbeza Simonda is a Consultant at March Associates responsible for the SME Development and Financial Inclusion Practice Area. She has a BA in Sociology from University of Zambia. She has over 25 years of experience working with SMEs including Informal Sector Operators (ISOs), small-scale farmers, cooperatives, entrepreneurs, and Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) in areas of SME business and financial development and financial inclusion.

During this period, she has initiated and facilitated social and development change processes among the target groups (SMEs, small-scale farmers, cooperatives, and MFIs) by acting as an Expert Trainer, Coordinator, an Animator, Moderator, Facilitator and Catalyst for the desired change. Elizabeth has worked and undertaken consultancies in areas of gender development, Gender Based Violence, SMEs and cooperative development, entrepreneurship and financial inclusion for different institutions and UN Agencies among them OXFAM, DANIDA, Association for Microfinance Institutions of Zambia (AMIZ), Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF), Commonwealth Youth Centre, Central Bank of Zambia, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa-Sub Regional Office for Southern Africa (UNECA/SRO-SA). Notable projects and assignments which Elizabeth has overseen include the following:

1. United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Project on the Promotion of the Informal Sector for Development in Africa-Pilot Assistance to Zambia for Micro and Small Entrepreneurs (MSEs) under which she created and managed a micro credit facility for the beneficiaries for the project;
2. The ILO Women Entrepreneurs Development and Gender Equality (WEDGE) project in Zambia;
3. The ILO Female and Male Operated Small (FAMOS) Enterprises Tool for enhancing financial inclusion among SMEs; and
4. The ILO GRZ/UN Joint Programme on Gender Based Violence (GRZ/UN JP on GBV) in collaboration with Ministry of Gender;

As a result of her work, Elizabeth has vast experience in project development, management, monitoring and training, an adequate understanding of the financial sector in the country, particularly the financing challenges and needs of the lower end segments of the financial sector (SMEs, cooperatives and famers).