Nalitye Mekondjo Nghede

Training and capacity development are the backbone of public service institutions, associated with improving both employee performance and productivity. 

Employee training, if done correctly, provides skills and knowledge that help employees complete their jobs efficiently and effectively. This is according to Nalitye Mekondjo Nghede the chief learning and development officer at the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade.

Nghede is the head of the human resource and development subdivision, which is responsible for advising the industrialisation ministry on training matters. She coordinates and controls all training programmes and conducts the training needs assessments of the ministry.

Among other functions, her day-to-day roles include facilitating training programmes, gathering training reports, analysing training statistics and organising workshops, seminars and conferences.

Born and raised in Olupandu village of the Omusati region, Nghede joined the public service in 2012 as a cadet constable in the Namibian Police Force while he was still a student at the then-Polytechnic of Namibia. 

“I had to drop out in my fourth year to join the Namibian Police Force. I worked in the charge office and operation – and later on, I was transferred to the human resource development division, where I was facilitating external and internal training,” she narrated.

In 2006, she moved to the Ministry of Justice as a learning and development officer. Two years later, she moved to her current employer.

Humble beginnings

Nghede started her school journey at Olupandu Primary School before proceeding to Onyika Junior Secondary School and thereafter matriculated at Jacob Marengo Secondary School. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in human resource management and has 10 years of experience in learning and development as well as performance management. 

Asked why she decided to join the public service, Nghede said: “I joined because I needed a job desperately and I had to grab the job opportunity to navigate through life because it was not easy growing up as an orphan. Besides that, government jobs offer benefits. In addition, government provides flexibility, job security and work-life balance”.

Likely challenges

There is no job without challenges – and according to Nghede, what she finds most challenging about her work “is that at times, it gets frustrating when you have planned to execute your annual activities, but you are unable to, as there are limited financial resources”.

However, what is most satisfying about her job, she said, is knowing that she is impacting knowledge among civil servants.

“As they say, ‘knowledge is power’. I feel satisfied when staff members leave the training room, well-equipped with the right knowledge and skills that will assist them to excel in their work duties. The positive impact training has on people’s lives is a major satisfaction for me. Furthermore, there is nothing more satisfying than when knowledge and skills are transferred successfully within an organisation,” she asserted.

Some of her achievements include delivering formal training presentations to public servants, resulting in maximised performance, increased customer satisfaction and service delivery as well as facilitating induction programmes that enable new staff members to fit in their new environment and which help them to effectively become productive.

Nghede was pleased to reveal that she successfully facilitated qualifying and non-qualifying training locally and abroad, which resulted in a good return on investment. She also managed to equip staff members with the right knowledge and skills on the performance management system (PMS) that, in the end, helped public servants measure their performance, understand the PMS process and their roles in performance management, and establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

Queried how her expertise benefits the public service, more especially the trade ministry, Nghede said: “My skills and work experience, coupled with expertise and knowledge in learning development and performance management, have helped the ministry to enhance capacity building among its employees and value and implement the performance management system”.

She further said being trained as a police officer has assisted her in gaining emotional intelligence, which helps her to work well, have teamwork with her colleagues and have humility toward people.

On the perception that public servants are futile and inefficient, Ngede said: “I don’t agree with the misconception; you cannot paint all government employees with the same brush. I am one of the hard-working employees and I value service delivery”.

“There is nothing that I enjoy more than waking up in the morning with a grateful heart, knowing that I am doing what I enjoy most and serving internal and external customers to the best of my ability. Government is an organisation like any other – and yes, we need to admit that there is still room for improvement; however, it is worth mentioning that there are people like me, and I am sure I am not the only one in the system who is committed to giving their best and to execute work effectively and efficiently.” 

Nghede is yet to determine when she will leave the public service, as she is enjoying her work and is satisfied, saying “One never knows when God will present an opportunity that will allow me to leave the public service”.

However, she wishes to see the government invest in human capital. 

“It is my wish that funding for qualifying and non-qualifying employees will be reintroduced to allow our learning and development officers to close competency gaps within Offices, Ministries and Agencies to enhance performance and career development for public servants, and the performance management system to be fully integrated into public services as per the Harambee Prosperity Plan.”