'Maximise impact through synergies' - says Masire-Mwamba

The new Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General, Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba, said she aims to contribute her knowledge and experience to the Commonwealth to enhance the work of the association in order that it not only remains relevant to member countries, but is also ahead of its time in progressive thinking and execution of development programmes.

Ms Masire-Mwamba, who took office on 2 June 2008 at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK, stated: “I would like to play a role in ensuring that we deliver effectively on the mandates of Heads of Government in a manner that impacts positively on the lives of Commonwealth citizens by working together with member governments and other development partners.”

Ms Masire-Mwamba will oversee political affairs, legal and constitutional affairs, human rights, youth affairs and corporate services at the Secretariat. She said her multidisciplinary background in electronics engineering and international business, coupled with her work experience in the public and private sectors, would be an asset to the Commonwealth.

A solutions-based approach in problem solving is what Ms Masire-Mwamba, a Botswana national, has been trained in through her technical experience.

“I bring with me the principles and best practices from both the public and private sectors that can add value to the deepening relationship between the public and private sectors, as well as between international organisations and development agencies in our efforts to step up collaboration and to maximise impact through synergies,” said Ms Masire-Mwamba.

Ms Masire-Mwamba was the Chief Executive of the Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority from 2002 to 2007 prior to her taking up her current post at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She also served as Group Manager of Corporate Business and Regulatory Affairs for the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation from 1986 to 2002; and was the UK Business Manager for the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation from 1978 to 1979.

The Deputy Secretary-General said her work in telecommunications is useful in her knowledge about the regulatory environment and the move from monopolies to competition and privatisation, as well as in identifying the level of development of a country based on its telecommunications infrastructure.

“Economic development is driven by political relations in addition to socio-economic imperatives. This is useful in understanding the politics behind trade negotiation matters between developed and developing countries as we help to find a common ground that will be beneficial to each party, particularly for small developing states of the Commonwealth, in which my own country, Botswana, is one of them.”

Ms Masire-Mwamba has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, and a BSc in Electronics and Physics from the University of London, UK.

She will work together with her counterpart, Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith of Jamaica, who focuses mainly on economic affairs, governance, social transformation and special advisory services.