Lahja Nashuuta
Berlin Kakuuai is a goal-driven, detail-oriented policy analyst under the Directorate of International Trade’s Trade Agreements Division within the trade ministry.
With extensive expertise on multilateral trade policymaking and negotiations, Kakuuai serves as a desk officer for the SACUM UK EPA and SACU MERCOSUR Trade and Economic Agreements of Namibia.
Her main responsibilities are to negotiate mutually beneficial trade and economic agreements, draft and facilitate the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) for trade and economic cooperation, and update.
She also enforces joint decisions at the bilateral level for government offices, ministries and agencies in the economic cluster.
Kakuuai is responsible for representing the ministry and the country at bilateral engagements as well as fostering Namibia’s national position at SACUM UK EPA and SACU MERCOSUR.
SACUM UK EPA and SACU MERCOSUR are preferential trade agreements between the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) plus Mozambique.
The MERCOSUR member states consist of the Argentine Republic, the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Republic of Paraguay, and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.
“I also serve as a bilateral desk officer for all the MERCOSUR countries as well as the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation that Namibia entered into trade partnerships with,” she said, visibly impressed with her impressive occupation.
Why Govt
Kakuuai is no newcomer to the public service.
She first joined the public service in 2007, as a taxation officer and later as an economist. Before joining the public service, Kakuuai worked as a relief teacher for two years at Martin Luther King Jr. High School, where she taught English and Business Management for grades 10 to 12.
She began her academic career at the University of Namibia, where she completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration and later an honours degree from the Namibia Business School (NBS) in the same course.
Kakuuai is currently pursuing her master’s degree in management strategy with NBS.
Asked why she joined the public service, She said, “Just like so many graduates, I found myself in the job search race after completing my bachelor’s degree. The public service offered me my first official and stable job as a taxation officer at the ministry of finance.”
However, she was quick to reveal that civil service was never her dream employment destination.
Like many others in her field, she aspired to land a lucrative job at some parastatal.
“I had a whole different career path in mind. I had interests in either marketing or law. I, however, feel that public service chose me, and I therefore decided to fully immerse myself and dedicate myself to servitude for the Namibian nation,” she said.
Kakuuai remains a big fan of the structures within government and how the system works.
This is because “it paves the way for the impartation of knowledge.”
Highs, lows
Working for the government offers her job security and an opportunity to influence the country’s policy development and implementation, she said.
But every job comes with its own set of challenges, and the civil service is no exception.
“Most of my work is reliant on information from government offices, ministries and agencies in the economic cluster, and it can be frustrating when they are not forthcoming with information, as it slows down productivity.”
“Working in the public sector also means that I am exposed to bureaucratic red tape. The pace at which decisions are made and duties are executed within public service can be excruciatingly slow at times, which can lead to lost opportunities,” said Kakuuai.
Rewards
The most satisfying thing about her job is when the signed agreements translate into benefits for the everyday Namibian through joint ventures with international investors, access to markets through exports, and job creation.
“It is always humbling to see the economic transformation and alleviation of living standards that come about through the negotiation of agreements that are beneficial to the Namibian people,” she said.
On a personal level, Kakuuai said travelling internationally is always rewarding as she gets opportunities to observe the different cultural nuances of conducting international trade and business.
She said seeing the Namibian government enter a trade partnership and facilitate the ratification of trade policies and agreements is part of the benefits that “my job title contributes to my ministry and the country at large.”
When asked which of her activities at the ministry she is proudest of, she said her greatest accomplishment was when she served as an economist.
Then, she mentored and presided over micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME).
“During my tenure, I experienced two SMEs graduate into bigger corporations,” she said fondly.
Kakuuai dismissed the general perception that civil servants are lazy salary collectors.
“I cannot shy away from the fact that that is the perception out there, and I, as a public servant, have also experienced inefficiency from other public servants.”
However, “We must bear in mind that where we have bad apples, we also have ones that are very juicy and fruitful. So, I wish the public could judge the civil servants individually, and not be prejudiced against us all.”
Future
Additionally, it is clear as daylight that Kakuuai is not planning to leave the civil service anytime soon.
But she remains open to any possibility that guarantees growth.
“I am dedicated to growth both individually and professionally, and therefore plan to be in public service for as long as I get opportunities for growth.
I, however, believe that whether one works in the public or private sector, we serve the Namibian nation, and will therefore be of service to my country until the day I retire,” She said.
On her wish list, Kakuuai dreams of climbing the ladder into a senior position.
“Professionally, I would like to find myself in a promotional position in the next two years if it’s within the public service. However, I also wish and dream to enter academia with the completion of my Phd in the next five years.”
-lnashuuta@gmail.com