Dr. Auxilia Ponga is a multi-disciplinary Development Leader with over 25 years hands-on professional experience on development strategies and responses at national, regional, and international levels. She is also highly skilled and has extensive knowledge in the areas of policy formulation, mainstreaming and implementation of gender as a cross cutting concern, combined with monitoring and evaluation of programs.

Her accomplishments include: provided gender policy guidance and technical support to the government of Zambia and mainstreamed gender in the National Development Plans; managed program evaluations commissioned in partnership with key partners and stakeholders, such as SADC, UN Agencies, and the African Union on their work on policy formulation, gender analysis and provided technical support during the formulation of the AU and SADC Gender Policies

Dr. Ponga worked as Gender Advisor at the Commonwealth Secretariat, was Gender Practice Leader at UNDP and Head of UN Women in SACU Countries.

She previously served as Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Tourism & Arts and the Ministry of Gender. Prior to that, she served as Permanent Secretary for M&E and Development Cooperation at the Ministry of National Development Planning.

Dr Ponga has worked as part-time lecturer at the University of Zambia in Gender Studies and has extensive experience in lecturing in Project Management and Public Policy.