TheJourneyVolume1 - Book - Page 86
#NextGenUNDP
Diana Louise Ofwona
NIG E R
made me competitive. I do not like to be left behind.
Thankfully the work I do calls more for collaboration
than competition.
COMPELLED BY DEVELOPMENT
I chose my education in Political Science and Languages
because I had always wanted to work in international
diplomacy. But I am very happy that the road I chose
eventually, has led me to the field of development. Just as
it is an integral part of my family culture, giving back is also
an integral part of development. It is through development
that I have found a channel to do that, across Africa and
the Caribbean, having served in eight duty stations to date.
Community development compels me as it is one of the
most visible ways of measuring the value of our development assistance. Seeing the smiles on the faces of people
whose lives we have touched through our programs and
interventions, truly inspires me.
I am also inspired by people such as H.E. President Paul
Kagame of Rwanda. A visionary and courageous leader,
for whom the word impossible does not exist. He is totally
fearless, taking on challenges that would ordinarily make
one freeze. He never basks at the station of success but
continuously moves higher and higher towards another
pinnacle.
His value-driven, strategic leadership, promotion of
gender equality and support for the youth, also deeply
resonate with me. He transformed his country from an
abyss of despair to Africa’s emblem of honor, and yet he
does not hesitate to extend a helping hand, in the true
spirit of Pan-Africanism.
CAREER LOWS, TRIUMPHS AND LESSONS
I have been blessed to be supported both by my family
and at work. I have had amazing career opportunities, the
most memorable being Leadership Development (LEAD)
from UNDP. Never have I been so profoundly trained and
mentored in my entire career, which spans government,
private sector, academia, and UN roles. I have had a fair
and honest chance to grow in the organization and to say
otherwise would be untrue.
But there is one experience in my career journey which
shook me to the core. I was assigned to an office immediately after the LEAD training, and when I arrived – young
and ready to serve – the Head of the Office told me coldly
on the very first day of my reporting to work, in these exact
words, “I didn’t ask HQ for you, I don’t need you. You
can twiddle your thumbs for all I care. Just stay clear of
my path! Your LEAD fingerlings are not special, and the
organization is making a big mistake setting you apart!”
I was so shocked and just froze! My next two years were
hell until finally the RBA Director, upon hearing my plight,
reassigned me. And it was a promotion.
Some years later, I met that Head of the Office again.
He sheepishly tried to justify his actions by saying : “I told
you those things to make you strong and help you survive
the UN,” and added that he was very proud of my achievements, to which he thought he had contributed.
But strangely, I never felt resentment towards him.
Instead, I learned some very helpful lessons from that
experience. I now know the importance of: mentoring
young professionals as they begin their careers – a
shake up, however small, can destroy a young person for
life; reaching out to peers when in difficulty. My fellow
colleagues shared their work with me, wiped away my
FAVOUR I T E Q U OTAT I O N
I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there be any
kindness I can show or any good thing I can do to any fellow being,
let me do it now, as I shall not pass this way again.”
WI L L I A M P E N N
86