Mulima Kufekisa Akapelwa is a senior governance and international development professional with over 30 years of experience in democracy, elections, civil society strengthening, and public sector accountability. She currently serves as Project Coordinator at the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) for the EU-funded PRO-DEM Zambia – Strengthening Democracy and Electoral Governance in Zambia project, where she supports the coordination and implementation of electoral assistance and democratic governance initiatives in partnership with national and international stakeholders.

Mulima previously served as Deputy Director of the Democracy, Rights and Governance Office at USAID/Zambia, where she oversaw a major elections and governance portfolio and provided technical leadership on electoral processes, civil society strengthening, and media and digital rights programming. She has also held senior advisory and leadership roles with DFID, the Zambia Governance Foundation, and Civil Society for Poverty Reduction, and worked extensively as an independent governance consultant supporting international donors and civil society organizations.

She holds a Master of Science in Comparative Social Research from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Zambia. She is widely recognized for her leadership and expertise in advancing democratic governance, accountability, and inclusive civic participation.