Driving Impact Where It Matters Most
For over 25 years, Karsten Weitzenegger has helped governments, multilateral organizations, and development agencies turn complex challenges into measurable results. As an independent international development consultant based in Hamburg, Germany, he brings strategic clarity, field-tested expertise, and a commitment to lasting change — across 40+ countries, from West Africa to Central Asia, from the Western Balkans to Latin America.
“My mission: to drive meaningful, enduring change — locally and globally. Because it’s our shared responsibility: this is our planet.”
Trusted by the European Commission, German BMZ implementing partners as GIZ and KfW, the World Bank Group, UN agencies, and bilateral cooperation agencies of Finland, Sweden, France, and Luxembourg.
Five Competencies That Define My Work in 2026
1 – Evaluation & Impact Measurement
Rigorous. Evidence-Based. Actionable.
Development investments are under unprecedented scrutiny. Donors demand evidence. Partners demand learning. You need an evaluator who delivers both.
With more than 15 years of evaluation practice — including central project evaluations for GIZ, final and mid-term evaluations for EU Delegations, and cross-analyses for DEval — Karsten Weitzenegger delivers evaluations that go beyond compliance. His assessments produce insights that genuinely steer organisational learning and strategic management.
What sets this practice apart:
- Full command of OECD-DAC criteria combined with advanced mixed-methods design — Contribution Analysis, Process Tracing, Causal Maps, Outcome Mapping, Most Significant Change, and Rigorous Impact Evaluation
- Accredited Lead Evaluator for GIZ Central Project Evaluations (CPE), NDICI Global Europe, IPA, EFSD+ frameworks
- AI-literacy in evaluation: applying evidence-based theories of change, AI-supported data tools, and integrated M&E system design
- Deep experience in evaluating private-public partnerships (develoPPP), green markets, trade facilitation, and capacity development initiatives
- Evaluation management across remote, fragile, and post-conflict contexts
Recent work: Lead Evaluator, EU–Ukraine Association Agreement (Trade), GIZ/BMZ, 2025–2026 | IPA II Private Sector Development Evaluation, North Macedonia, EU Delegation, 2025
2 – Private Sector Development & Vocational Training (TVET)
Connecting Markets. Building Skills. Creating Jobs.
Sustainable growth doesn’t happen by accident — it requires strong business environments, skilled workforces, and institutions that enable enterprise. Karsten Weitzenegger has designed, implemented, and evaluated private sector and TVET programs across four continents, consistently linking economic development strategy to on-the-ground impact.
In close alignment with BMZ’s 2026 reform agenda for economic cooperation and the EU’s Global Gateway investment priorities, this competence area addresses the most pressing market failures in developing and transition economies.
Service portfolio:
- Business environment assessment and private sector strategy design
- SME competitiveness, value chain analysis, and market access support
- TVET system reform, vocational skills policy, and labour market relevance studies
- Chamber and association partnership facilitation (Sequa, DGRV, DSIK, DGB)
- Entrepreneurship promotion for youth and disadvantaged groups
- Evaluation and planning of develoPPP and public–private partnership programs
Recent work: Program Evaluation, German Savings Bank Foundation (DSIK) Chamber Partnership Program, BMZ/ZmW Portfolio, 2024–2025 | TVET Impact Measurement, GIZ/BMZ & IDB, Latin America and Caribbean, 2022
3 – Stabilization, Reconstruction & Fragile Contexts
From Crisis to Resilience. With Experience, Not Theory.
The most demanding development work happens in fragile and post-conflict settings — where institutional voids, humanitarian pressures, and political volatility demand both strategic agility and operational expertise. Karsten Weitzenegger has delivered results in some of the world’s most challenging environments: Ukraine, Palestine, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the Sahel.
As Germany repositions its development policy around peace, stability, and reconstruction — particularly in Ukraine, Syria, and the MENA region — this expertise is in critical demand. The humanitarian–development–peace nexus requires consultants who can navigate all three dimensions simultaneously.
Capabilities include:
- Evaluation and advisory in post-conflict and fragile state programs
- Nexus programming: linking humanitarian response with long-term development and peacebuilding
- Local governance, social accountability, and civil society strengthening
- Conflict-sensitive impact analysis and Do No Harm frameworks
- Refugee and displacement response program support
- Coordination support for Team Europe and multi-donor programs
Recent work: Lead Evaluator, EU–Ukraine Trade Association Agreement Implementation, GIZ/Combeo, Ukraine, 2025–2026 | Final Evaluation, West African Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP), Sierra Leone, EU Delegation, 2024
4 – Capacity Development & Facilitation
Learning that keeps the fun. Change that can be done.
Capacity development is only as good as the learning it generates. Too many training programs check boxes without shifting behaviour. Karsten Weitzenegger designs and delivers learning experiences that are evidence-informed, participant-cantered, and directly tied to organizational performance.
As a certified Train-the-Trainer (University of Hamburg) with C2-level fluency in English, Spanish, and Portuguese and working proficiency in French he facilitates across language barriers and cultural contexts with equal confidence.
Offered formats and services:
- Facilitation of strategy workshops, learning reviews, and pause-reflect-adapt cycles
- Training design and delivery for development professionals (GIZ Academy for International Cooperation)
- Blended and online training in English, French, and Spanish
- Organizational needs assessments and competency frameworks
- Workshop moderation for multi-stakeholder platforms and donor coordination processes
- Capacity strengthening for M&E systems and results-based management
Recent work: Ongoing Trainer, GIZ Academy for International Cooperation (Gender in Practice, Results Orientation, Corporate Communications, Compliance Reporting), since 2023 | Team Coach & Moderator, GIZ Global Sport for Development Programme, Tunisia, 2023
5 – Trade Integration, Economic Policy & Regional Cooperation
People Centered Markets. Strengthening Rules. Building Economic Prosperity.
Trade integration is one of the most powerful levers for sustainable economic development — and one of the most technically complex. Karsten Weitzenegger has worked at the intersection of trade policy, regional economic integration, and quality infrastructure across West Africa, the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.
With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) gaining momentum, the EU’s neighbourhood policy intensifying, and the BMZ doubling down on economic partnerships with the Global South, demand for experienced trade integration experts has never been stronger.
Areas of expertise:
- Regional economic integration assessment and strategic advisory (ECOWAS, ASEAN, MERCOSUR, AfCFTA, Andean Community)
- Trade facilitation, tariff policy reform, and customs harmonization
- EU Association Agreement implementation and IPA program evaluation
- Standards, quality infrastructure, and conformity assessment systems (ISO, WTO-STDF, SPS/TBT)
- Aid for Trade evaluation and private sector enabling environment reform
- M&E system design for trade and competitiveness programs
Recent work: Senior Strategic Advisor, Promoting Trade in West Africa (WATIP II), GIZ/GFA/EU/World Bank, Nigeria & ECOWAS, 2019–2021 | Lead Evaluator, EU–Ukraine Association Agreement (Trade Chapter), 2025–2026
Why Work with Karsten Weitzenegger
| 🌍 Global reach | 40+ countries across Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe & MENA |
| 🏛️ Institutional fluency | EC, BMZ, GIZ, UN, World Bank, NGOs, bilateral agencies |
| 📊 Methods depth | 20+ advanced evaluation and research methods |
| 🗣️ Multilingual | German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French |
| ⚖️ Independent | No institutional agenda — results-driven, client-focused |
| 🤝 Team player | Experienced Team Leader and consortium partner |
Let’s Work Together
Whether you’re commissioning an evaluation, designing a capacity development program, or need a senior expert to join a consortium proposal — reach out to explore how we can deliver impact together.
📧 karsten @ weitzenegger.de
🌐 weitzenegger.de
🔗 linkedin.com/in/weitzenegger
Based in Hamburg, Germany. Available globally.
Karsten Weitzenegger Consulting — Independent Expert and Evaluator since 2003.