TheJourneyVolume1 - Book - Page 96
#NextGenUNDP
Pa Lamin Beyai
Coun tr y o f O r igin :
UNDP Co u n t r y O f f ic e :
Date o f Ap po in tm e n t :
T HE GA M BI A
SIERRA LEONE
JA N UA RY 2 02 1
“BEING RR DURING THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE,
BUT ALSO PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES
TO BUILD BACK BETTER.”
I
was born in The Gambia into a family of six siblings. I
realised later in life that I was lucky to grow up in an
extended family which included my parents, uncles,
aunts, and other relatives. My father passed away
when I was only 12 years old. My family and I were left
devastated. But my dream of getting an education and
securing a job to support my mother and siblings, kept
me going.
I later earned a scholarship provided by the Catholic
Mission and I completed my GCE Ordinary Level with
an outstanding result which easily earned me a place
at the Sixth Form. But the euphoria of moving up the
education ladder was abruptly cut short when another
family tragedy struck.
I lost my mother two weeks into the beginning of Upper
Sixth Form. The death of my dear mother seriously
interrupted my mindset and education for a long period.
I even decided to withdraw from school since I found it
hard to focus on my studies and did not show up in class
for far longer than the mourning period.
Two of my friends at the Sixth Form convinced me to
go back to school. They offered me the much-needed
support, encouraging me to soldier on and to focus on
my own life and my dreams.
EDUCATION PAVED THE WAY
They made me believe that going to school and later
living a happy family life would be what my mother
would love even in heaven. In hindsight, this proved to
be very good advice.
I now hold a BSc (Honors) in Economics from the
University of Sierra Leone, an MBA from University of
Newcastle upon Tyne, and an MSc (Economic Policy)
from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).
I also earned a PhD in Health Economics at the Prestigious London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
My interest in a career in economics was influenced by
good advice from my mentor, who was a student at the
same undergraduate university. And having equipped
myself with these qualifications, my career in International Development was paved.
My journey at the UN began more than 22 years ago.
Over this period, I have had the privilege of serving in
different senior positions in Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia,
Zimbabwe, my home country - The Gambia, and now
Sierra Leone. In Zimbabwe, I supported 18 countries in
Eastern and Southern Africa in immunization program
planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and
financial sustainability.
A career in International Development has allowed me
to research the causes, effects, and solutions to some of the
major issues in the world and improve the lives of those
who are the less fortunate and need protection. There
will be scenes that will follow you all your life - scenes of
tragedy and human sufferings. But, at the same time, you
will have this incredibly rewarding feeling that drives you
to wake up every morning and dive into a spiral of neverending work. The commitment to deliver more and better
will grow after you see people finally receiving help and
getting the necessary services to live quality lives.
BUILDING BACK BETTER
The COVID-19 pandemic unfortunately brought a halt
to the significant progress we made in the last Decade
of Action, with unprecedented social and economic
consequences. The global economic slowdown is ›
UNDP is always looking for
innovative ways of working to
remain the partner of choice in
ensuring sustainable
development in Africa.”
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