From Zambia to global development leadership, Muyaka Ngulube – Banda has built a career dedicated to strengthening financial governance, managing complex international programs, and ensuring development funds create real impact across communities worldwide.
Muyaka Ngulube – Banda’s career is a remarkable journey of determination, adaptability, and global impact. Today she serves as the Country Fiscal Agent Manager for the Millennium Challenge Account in Timor Leste, South East Asia, under GFA Consulting Group, where she oversees critical financial management systems that support large-scale development initiatives. Her path to this role, however, began many years earlier in Zambia, shaped by persistence, ambition, and a deep passion for financial analysis and governance.
After successfully completing secondary school, Muyaka became one of the fortunate individuals who entered the workforce almost immediately. Within about seven months, she began working at the Office of the Auditor General in Lusaka, Zambia, marking the beginning of a career that was not initially her first choice but one that would later prove deeply fulfilling. During her time there, she was given the opportunity to pursue further studies in auditing at the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA). While the experience strengthened her technical skills, she eventually realized that the government systems and structures did not align with the larger ambitions she had for her career. After about five years with the Office of the Auditor General, she chose voluntary separation, driven by a strong passion for analysing and interpreting financial information and a desire to pursue bigger professional dreams.
Following her departure from government service, Muyaka ventured into entrepreneurship while simultaneously continuing her education. She began studying management accounting with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), determined to strengthen her understanding of financial management. Midway through her CIMA studies, she returned to formal employment and joined NAC 2000 Corporation on a one-year contract. In this role she provided support within the finance department, focusing on debt management and stores management, gaining practical experience in financial operations.
Her career took a defining turn when she joined British Petroleum (BP). She started as a Depot Cashier, working with customers from Lusaka as well as the Western and Eastern provinces. Within just a few months, she realized that BP aligned closely with her ambitions in operations and compliance management. From that moment onward, she became very intentional about the roles she pursued within the organization and the experiences that would help her realize her long-term career vision.
At BP she developed a deep understanding of depot operations, learning the entire operational cycle from product management, loading and offloading trucks, and depot closure processes to analysing business objects and preparing financial reports on depot operations. Her dedication quickly made her a trusted and reliable professional within the company. Over time she served in multiple operational roles across counter sales, dispatch operations, and supply chain management, eventually advancing to the role of Performance Analyst for the logistics function, also known as Logistics Administrator.
In this role she played an instrumental part in handling procurement activities and driving the centralization of procurement processes, a move that significantly reduced waste and minimized financial losses. She also ensured that key performance indicators (KPIs) were consistently met and that operational dashboards maintained acceptable standards for internal control requirements. Her tenure at BP concluded during the period when the company was taken over by PUMA Energy, marking the end of a formative chapter in her professional development.
Seeking new challenges, Muyaka moved into the international development sector by joining the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as an Operations Quality Assurance Officer. This transition proved to be another turning point in her career. The role not only introduced her to development aid work but also laid the foundation for her international career, including working in complex and challenging operating environments.
She later transitioned to the role of Finance and Quality Assurance Advisor, where she led financial and compliance management training for provincial offices of the Ministry of Health in Zambia. This work was aimed at preparing these offices to take over Principal Recipientship from UNDP under Global Fund grants. During this period she also led assets management initiatives, ensuring that all assets procured through Global Fund grants were fully accounted for before being handed over to the Ministry of Health.
After four and a half years at UNDP Zambia, Muyaka took on her first international assignment at UNDP South Sudan as a Quality Assurance and Compliance Specialist. The role introduced her to working in highly challenging operating environments and further expanded her expertise in development program oversight. Under the Global Fund Project, she spearheaded the establishment of sub-recipient reporting processes and systems, asset management structures, and audit management frameworks.
Following nearly two years in South Sudan, she moved to Nigeria, where she served as Group Leader for the Fiscal Agent managing Global Fund grants. In this role she provided financial, compliance, and procurement oversight for organizations implementing Global Fund programs across the country. One of her most significant achievements during this time was ensuring zero ineligible expenditures and unqualified audits for all implementing partners under her supervision, a remarkable accomplishment within complex grant-funded environments.
After almost three years in Nigeria, Muyaka relocated to Indonesia to serve as Team Leader for Financial Management Technical Assistance at UNDP. Her work focused on providing performance support to the Ministry of Health as Principal Recipients of Global Fund grants, strengthening financial accountability and improving financial information systems. She ensured the quality and accuracy of financial reports and supported their timely submission to the Global Fund.
One of her key achievements in Indonesia was leading the implementation of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Financial Management Information System (FMIS) for HIV and TB Principal Recipients within the Ministry of Health. The system had previously experienced an operational deadlock for almost six months, but under her leadership the project achieved a successful go-live. She subsequently followed up with user training and procurement and fund management support for implementing entities, ensuring smooth adoption of the system.
Muyaka later moved to Liberia as Fiscal Agent Country Manager for Global Fund grants, overseeing implementation by the Ministry of Health. During her time there she implemented strong internal controls around payment and procurement processes, producing significant results. Within just two years, ineligible expenditures were reduced dramatically from approximately US$7 million to zero. She also provided extensive on-the-job training and formal capacity-building sessions to implementing entities to strengthen their understanding of grant requirements and improve operational efficiency.
Today, Muyaka serves as Fiscal Agent Country Manager for the Millennium Challenge Account in Timor Leste, South East Asia, under GFA Consulting Group. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a United States foreign aid agency established in 2004, entered into a US$484 million compact agreement with the Republic of Timor Leste, working through the Millennium Challenge Account. The program aimed to reduce poverty through economic growth by focusing on water sanitation systems and education development, including providing clean water, improving sanitation to combat disease, and strengthening training for secondary school educators. Due to changes in foreign policy by the US Government, Timor Leste compact will not proceed to enter into force.
Within this program, Muyaka oversees and performs all services necessary to ensure that financial management activities comply fully with the principles, rules, and procedures established under the compact agreements between MCC and the Government of Timor Leste, as well as any supplementary agreements. Her responsibilities include fund management, budget planning and management, asset management, financial accounting, reporting, and capacity building for implementing partners.
Throughout her career she has developed deep expertise across several critical areas including development, management and implementation of standard operating policies and procedures for finance, assets, human resources, procurement and compliance; corporate governance and stakeholder management; project management including oversight of program activities, financial management, workplans and performance frameworks; compliance and risk management through risk identification and mitigation systems; financial management and control including budget monitoring, forecasting, KPI management and reporting; data analysis and reporting of financial and programmatic results; grant and donor funds management from project inception to closure; asset management systems including tagging, physical counts and fixed asset registers; audit management; and capacity development through formal and on-the-job training for stakeholders.
Her strong professional achievements are supported by an impressive academic and certification background. She holds a Master of Science in Strategic Planning from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, a Master of Business Administration from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting (Honours) from Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland. She is also a Chartered Global Management Accountant with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) in the United Kingdom.
In addition to her degrees, she has completed specialized professional training including Risk Management Tools, Inventory of Risks, Assessments of Risks and Development of Mitigation Strategies from RIPA International in the United Kingdom; Measurement for Effective Resource Based Management at the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany; the Emerging Leaders Leadership Course at the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany; and Supervisory and Leadership Skills training in Lusaka, Zambia. Her professional certifications include Certified Governance, Risk Management and Compliance Specialist (CGRCS), Certified Compliance Professional (CCP), and Certified People and Teams Developer (Clarity4D).
Over the course of her career she has worked with and supported major global organizations and institutions including the United Nations Development Programme, British Petroleum, GFA Consulting Group, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and various government ministries, particularly in the health, finance, and education sectors.
GFA Consulting Group, where she currently serves, is one of the leading European consulting firms active in the development cooperation sector. The company has implemented complex global studies and projects since 1982 and works with development agencies, ministries, and public sector clients to manage projects financed through bilateral and multilateral funding mechanisms. Through partnerships with government institutions, the private sector, NGOs, and citizen groups, GFA combines innovation and reliability to meet local development needs.
Muyaka’s leadership and contributions have also been recognized through several prestigious awards. She received the Woman Champion Award from the Forum for Zambia Women Accountants, recognizing her work in championing inclusivity and uplifting women within the accounting profession. She was also recognized among the 100 Women in Leadership by Women in Leadership Africa in collaboration with the International Renaissance Centre.
Beyond her professional work, Muyaka remains deeply committed to social impact and community development. She is the Founder and Immediate Past National Coordinator of the Forum for Zambia Women Accountants (FZWA), a chapter under the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants, which promotes women’s participation in the accounting profession and in Zambia’s national development agenda.
She is also the Founder and Chairperson of Reaching The Heights Foundation, a non-governmental organization dedicated to improving community welfare across Lusaka, Southern, Central, Eastern, and Copperbelt provinces in Zambia. The foundation focuses on key development areas including health, education, financial literacy, environmental sustainability, and social welfare.
From Lusaka to Timor Leste and across multiple continents, Muyaka Ngulube – Banda has built a career defined by accountability, leadership, and a commitment to strengthening financial governance in development programs. Through her work, she continues to ensure that international funding systems operate with transparency, efficiency, and impact, ultimately helping resources reach the communities they are meant to serve.
