A career in public service is for anyone who wants to make a difference even if it means putting public interests ahead of personal ambitions. Unlike many public servants who say they chose public service because they enjoy giving back to the community, for Shoki Kandjimi it was all about the fascination to ensure that people have access to information to better their livelihoods.

Kandjimi is a communicator of note and one of the youngest spokespersons in the government attached to the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT). 

His expertise lies in strategic communications, brand management, building and maintaining media relations,
crisis communication, campaigns, and social media management.

He manages the ministry’s internal and external communication, works with the media, and articulates the ministry’s projects and programmes to ensure the public understands the mandate of MICT and how it contributes to nation-building.

Besides that, Kandjimi is a broadcaster with experience in radio and television management and presentation. Kandjimi is a public speaker of note. He is currently a host of Namibia Broadcasting Corporation’s (NBC) hard-talk programme, ‘One-on-One’ which airs every Tuesday at 21h15 on DSTV channel 282.

Kandjimi served as an executive committee member at the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA), Namibian chapter, from 2018 to 2020. He is currently an active member of the public relations and communications industry and the President of the NUST Alumni Association.

Before joining the public service, Kandjimi worked for NUST FM as a communications manager and a radio presenter as well as public relations officer for a public relations company, Poiyah Media.

Besides that, the 26-year-old is also passionate about young
people and is actively involved in youth development-related projects. He is self-motivated and believes in working hard to be the best version of himself. His family and country also inspire him to work hard and be a change agent.

Becoming a civil servant

Kandjimi joined the public service in 2020 as information officer at the Kavango East regional office and two years later moved to head office in the media liaison division as a senior information officer. 

Due to his hard work and passion for communication and public relations, in the same year, he was reassigned to the portfolio of senior public relations officer, becoming the spokesperson of the ministry in the office of the executive director.   

Kandjimi describes his journey and his overall experience at MICT as “amazing”.  “The ministry has allowed me to grow through the ranks and believed in my abilities to contribute meaningfully and strategically,” he said.

Asked what was most satisfying about his job, Kandjimi said: “the capable leadership from the minister through the executive director to the general staff. They have great ideas for transforming the ICT sector and teamwork makes the dream work.”

He said the evidence lies in the new government communication strategy that was launched, which seeks to improve communications efforts and ensure that people have access to information to better their livelihoods.

“For me, it’s the fact that we can contribute our ideas to the plans of the government, that gives me more confidence because I am also able to contribute to the developmental agenda of our country,” Kandjimi said.

Accomplishments 

Kandjimi is the brains behind the basic computer literacy project that he spearheaded during his tenure as an information officer at the MICT Kavango East regional office.

 He said the computer literacy programme was aimed at assisting unemployed youth with basic computer skills as per the MICT strategic plan for 2017-2022, which visioned to accelerate ICT development, access, and use for an inclusive ICT smart Namibia.

 “I facilitated this programme and managed to get sponsorship in the form of laptops from Nedbank Namibia. This expanded the programme and more youth could participate in the programme,” Kandjimi said. 

Narrating his contribution to the government, Kandjimi confidently believed that he brought a lot of experience and some important skills to the ministry.

“I continue to make significant contributions in the form of assisting with the drafting of the ministry’s strategic communication plans and ensuring that the ministry’s presence is felt on our digital platforms such as social media. To date, digital platforms are regularly updated.”

There is no job without challenges and for Kandjimi, the limited resources are one of the challenges that hinder his team’s efforts to deliver fully. “However, the future looks promising and this won’t be a challenge in the coming years as we anticipate the economy to recover,” he said.

When asked to comment on the public misconception public servants are idle and incompetent, Kandjimi had this to say: “I don’t share these views because I still believe that hardworking and patriotic public servants still exist! Some of us are dedicated to delivering as per our performance agreements which play a critical role in the successful implementation of our plans and strategies.”

Kandjimi is not planning to leave the government anytime soon. “Looking at my journey thus far, the future looks promising and only the future can tell how long I will be in the public service,” he said.

“I think for me is to grow professionally while learning and mastering my skills and ensuring that the name Shoki Kandjimi will forever be remembered in the communications and public relations industry. Moreover, to represent my MICT brand well and articulate the good work that we do at the ministry,” Kandjimi
said.