Dr. Howard Shimishi Chitengi

Dr. Howard Shimishi Chitengi is a seasoned urban and regional planning professional with more than 28 years of experience. Throughout his career he has worked effectively across regional and national governance tiers, collaborating closely with municipal governments, civil-society groups, and multilateral and non-governmental organizations across Zambia. His competencies span spatial planning, environmental management and socio-economic development strategies, with specialised focus on transportation networks, urban land policies, legislative frameworks, urban informality and informal-settlement upgrading, climate change and the transition to a circular economy.

He progressed through middle and senior management roles, beginning as a high school educator in the Ministry of Education and later serving as Planner, Senior Planner, and Principal Planner in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. In these roles, he played a pivotal part in advancing local, regional, and national urban policy and legislative reform, strengthening planning systems, and fostering inclusive urban development that integrated affordable housing, climate resilience, environmental protection, and green-economy initiatives. He currently serves as Chief Planner in the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, where he continues to influence national infrastructure and spatial directions.

He has served as a thematic chair at the ESAMI since 2025, championing sustainable development, climate action, biodiversity conservation, and green circular-economy processes through research, consulting, and strategic networking across Africa. He holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Dundee (United Kingdom), an MSc in Spatial Planning from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), and an Honors BA in Education, with a major in Geography, from the University of Zambia.

Contact: chitengish@gmail.com