Modesta’s take on improving gender diversity

Dar es Salaam. For gender equality to be uprooted as a norm, it will take intentional, concerned and concerted individuals as well as organised and systematic interventions in human development.
Ms Modesta Mahiga - management consultant at the African Union Mission to the United States in New York - believes that gender diversity has to be mainstreamed in education, employment, business, financing, legislation, social protection, public safety and reinforcement as well as other spaces.
With a background in Law, Modesta’s career path started being groomed when she joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as an intern in the tax and legal department six months before she enrolled for university.
After her internship ended, Ms Modesta enrolled at the University of Durham located in England for a Bachelor’s degree in Law.   She was a full-time law student who was working three jobs so that she could pay part of her tuition fees as well as help her parents to pay for her brother’s school fees in Swaziland (now Eswatini).
“I am where I am because of the grace of God and people. From an early age, I have always craved development. When I see a state less favourable for individuals, families, organisations, nations, I would always think to myself ‘somebody needs to do something about this’, I would then resolve to ‘I am that somebody, I need to do something about this’ before overseeing how I would be helpful with what I have at that particular time,” she explains.
This purpose-driven life and pursuit of solution for other people has overtime opened doors of opportunities for Ms Modesta including in education, employment and entrepreneurship.
“My purpose in my career life is to support leaders to grow, lead and have global impacts as individuals and drivers of their organisations, industries and economies,” she explains.
With time, Ms Modesta’s career was wheeling forward and challenges began to surface.
“There are times my knowledge and skills have been underestimated because of my age and gender but it is during these challenging times that I choose to stay grounded, live by principles and standards,” she details.
At one point in her life, she had to relocate with her husband after he got a scholarship out of the country. It was at this time, she became vulnerable.
“I got married and had children back to back with extremely difficult pregnancies. Relocating was not part of my plans. That period of rapid transition almost broke me.
“My country and my contribution to it was all I knew. Away from the familiar, I felt like a demographic statistic: Black, Female, 35-40, Stay at Home Mum,” Ms Modesta details.
She further says: “I lost my bearings and for a moment I began questioning what would become of my career, education, business aspirations and what would become of my lifelong desire to lead Africa’s human capital development and economic growth.”
With that, Ms Modesta picked up multiple lessons as a wife and a mother.
“I learned that every area of one’s life is important. Career success should not come at the expenses of personal and family heath and progress. I also learned that life transitions are inevitable because they are opportunities to redefine yourself, your life and career path as well as your future,” she says.
Ms Modesta unravels that career advancement is aligned with more than knowledge one posses, it is also lined with experiencing and measuring your skills and knowledge through other people’s experiences.
“Mentors are crucial in self development because they help in uplifting your learning curve. On your own, you may experiment you career but with mentors, you get the benefit of a guide that has navigated a similar path that may not be identical to yours.
Mentors can assist to be in line with your goals from their own mistakes and lessons embraces since they have seen and been through it all,” Ms Modesta says.
As she talks about gender diversity, Ms Modesta explains that the main cause of gender inequality in Tanzania and the world at large is due to one group’s quest for power, advantage and domination over other groups for social, economic, religious, political gain as well as others.
“Gender inequality is pervasive because how insidious it is, it stems and spreads from families which are smallest units of the society and it stretches to systematic norms in the highest levels of decision making powers,” she explains.
She however advises that since the concept of gender diversity roots from families and how people are brought up, it is about time the society reflects on the influences families upbringing have an impact on a person’s believes and perceptions.
“I urge women to have visions and goals as well as yearly plans that they must work on with the aim of achieving them. Women actively play many leading roles in life and unless they intentionally steer those roles in the service of their specific visions and goals, they can sabotage their leadership and career growth,” she says.
Ms Modesta reveals several areas of their lives that she advices women to keenly work on them. These areas surround health, boundaries and goals set.
“They have to prioritise their spiritual, emotional, mental and physical health.
“They also have to set healthy boundaries so that they can focus their time, energy finances, relationships and expertise to achieving their goals,” she says.
Ms Modesta further explains that “Women have also learn to communicate their goals and achievements to critical decision makers in ways that they can be guided to advance their agenda.”
To aspiring young women leaders, Ms Modesta stresses that they should first define their identities, values, vision, goals and limit.
“You have to be consistent with leading yourself in character, competencies and connection with others so that you can earn the trust to lead others, visions, organisations and nations.
“You should always have sustainable impact and lasting legacy in mind,” she emphasises.