The CEO of PDA East Africa based in Kigali, Ms Jane Ntunde. PHOTO | Courtesy
Kigali. Billed as one of the top-notch human resources strategists and institutional development experts in competitive and complex corporate and work environments in East Africa, Jane Ntunde wears many hats in her professional life and is a well-being coach, among many other roles.
The Tanzanian from Singida, who also serves as the CEO of PDA East Africa is based in Kigali, Rwanda, played a key role in corporate strategy planning and aligned it with national and international policies and practices.
Before shifting base to Kigali, while in Tanzania, Jane used her experience and expertise to volunteer at several universities across her motherland.
She realised the dire need to educate and facilitate undergraduates on career development planning and soft skills courses, from communication skills and creative thinking to emotional intelligence.
The skills that would improve their employability and adaptability to the job market.
She worked with the University of Dar es Salaam, the University of Dodoma, St Joseph University, and the State University of Zanzibar, among many other top universities in the country.
Working four years consecutively
In Africa, Tanzania included, the youth population is on the rise. This could be a gift or a burden to the economy, but certainly the job market gets more competitive, and Jane recommends improved soft skills as an advantage to future job-seekers.
The argument that most of the graduates churned out from our universities lack employability and work readiness, she said, is not right to place the whole burden on universities and their lecturers but urges students to have personal initiatives and find ways to gain work experience while studying and extracurricular involvement one partakes in. “We are in a place where you can’t wait for the system to do everything for you, and students must be told that,” she quipped.
The skills gap is evident among graduates
She hopes soft skills training will be officially incorporated in higher learning institutions, especially in fields like liberal arts; this is where there is a focus on critical thinking, communication skills, cultural understanding, and adaptability.
If these can find their way into being taught in the lecture halls in our esteemed universities, we will see a massive change in the product these instructions produce and supply to the Tanzanian workforce. “Above all, personal efforts are needed,” she added. To say Jane knows a thing or two about the job market is to put it mildly.
She works across the East African states and virtually with South Africa, Gambia, and Senegal.“I am not constrained; I like to work on a wide scope,” she said.
Technology has played a big role in her career
It enabled her instant access to global knowledge and education; she is a believer in lifelong learning, and she has absorbed knowledge in all ways she could, from online courses and tutorial forums. She has learnt a lot and reciprocated by teaching others as well.
It allowed her to work in different countries; still, only a few countries in Africa have prioritised technology and formulated systems that work effectively where you don’t need to know someone personally to do your job or get a project.
Where bureaucracy had been reduced almost to nil
That has helped her work comfortably within the region with limited biases.
In 2019 she was working with one of the East African central banks; the economist used to call her ‘the artificial intelligence lady’. Whenever he would introduce her to the heads of directorates, he would refer to her as the AI lady, a true testament to her early adaptivity to the new technology in the market.
She has a knack for solving real-time challenges with real-time solutions, doing so sometimes and seeing them being implemented.
That’s the perk of her job: the amazing experience of watching her services solve problems and provide solutions in real time.
Settling in a neighbouring country has never proved to be a challenging endeavour for Jane; the cultures are almost similar, with slight adjustments if need be. ‘All in all, I embrace the quote, “When in Rome, do as Romans do,”’ she said.
Still being far from home has its down moments; homesickness can’t be fully eliminated no matter how long one is used to travelling outside the country.
She maintains close ties to her family, her brothers and sisters, and her nieces and nephews.
When video calls no longer suffice, she quietly flies to Dar es Salaam or drives to Singida and spends quality time with the family and returns to Kigali and continues her work, rejuvenated by the warm embraces of family members.
It has been approximately 15 years since Ms Ntunde conducted her work in the East African region, and it gives her the most joy to see her work being implemented in government institutions across the nation.
No feeling beats seeing the real-time change, especially seeing the strategies she comes up with being put to use.
“It’s such a fulfilling feeling; it’s unmatched,” she beamed.
For close to two decades, she has also grown professionally and spiritually; she is more content and grounded and proud of how far she has come.
As the world is adapting to adapting to virtual learning and artificial intelligence, Jane observes AI has more than just tools but enablers.
In Tanzania, AI is an opportunity to democratise education, boost productivity, empower the youth, and even make public service more efficient.
Artificial intelligence is a real game changer, she adds, but she cautions that for that technology to succeed, it will depend on strategic investment, partnership, and digital inclusion.
In most African countries, there is a digital division; some rural areas have limited or no access to the internet, she noted, but also affordability among low-income communities. Digital literacy remains a hurdle to full inclusion. There is an urgent need to train teachers, and communities to use the tech is critical; there is a need for local content that is culturally relevant and language-appropriate.
These are some challenges, but it has to begin with Tanzania prioritising and embracing technology.
She lives by her favourite mantra, a quote from Ralph Ellison, “When I discover who I am, I will be free.” It can even be seen on the homepage of her website.
She is adamant that young people embrace self-knowledge
As a well-being coach, Jane finds balance in life. ”Well-being is a state of being; it’s a mental, emotional, physical, social and spiritual state. When you are in a good space in all these areas, it’s what is called optimal well-being,” she stated.
A person’s life feels harmonious and fulfilled at this stage, she adds, among many of her teachings, is living in the present, one’s ability to remain calm despite adversities in life.
She also insists on purpose-living: “When you wake up in the morning, it’s not just a matter of doing our job and earning a living but understanding our purpose in life, and that shapes how one values and the meaning they place on their life,” she said.
Mental health comes from living a purposeful life and loving what you do for a living, not simply working to feed yourself.
Whatever you do, do it to the level of mastery, and do it with pleasure and enjoyment and not simply as a task, she advises.
Another aspect of well-being coaching is ‘positive emotion’; these are emotions that make us feel good, satisfied, and content, she explained.
These include love, joy, and excitement. Having quality relationships at work and on a personal level is a key component of well-being, Jane pointed out.
That comes with developing trust and feeling supported; a mutual relationship is strengthened by good communication, either with a supervisor at work or a husband and a wife in a family. On well-being, she said, ‘It’s not how your body looks; it’s not about being fat or thin. To sustain vitality, the energy one needs to function effectively comes from physical fitness, a balanced diet, and adequate rest. With all these combined, one can say they are in good mental health.’
Ms Ntunde is in a place in her life where she enjoys more quiet time; she prefers noiseless nights, she goes to bed early, and on occasion, she goes to dinner with family and friends.
She finds tranquillity in driving out of town to serene places.
Living in Rwanda, the land with many hills and rivers, that’s where she goes when she wants her alone time, where she is in touch with nature and her inner peace.
