Meet the YATEs!

On this podcast episode you will hear the testimonials of 4 of our Young African TradeExperettes (YATEs) fellows: Lechani Kgangyame, Pelontle Maphula, Laone Nthaga and Chidinma Nwodo. They engage in a conversation with Kellie and Belén about their experiences in the fellowship program, as well as their path on trade and professional development. 

Kellie Kemock: Welcome to the TradeExperettes Podcast. I'm Kellie Kemock. 

Belén Gracia: And I'm Belén Gracia 

Kellie Kemock: and we're the host of the TradeExperettes Podcast. In this episode, we are going to meet the Young African TradeExperettes or the YATEs. 

Hi Belén! Thanks for joining today's episode. Happy to have you! 

Belén Gracia: Hi, Kellie! Yes, I'm very excited to have this conversation! 

Kellie Kemock: Yes! So last September in the context of the WTO Public Forum, the TradeExperettes launched this Young African TradeExperettes program, or the YATEs, Y-A-T-E-S, the YATEs, and introduced to the trade community the selected Young African women trade experts that are participating in this first cohort of the YATEs Fellowship program.

Belén Gracia: Yes! And I was lucky enough to meet some of them in person. 

And in this episode we are talking with four of the Yates fellows, Lechani Kgangyame, Pelontle Maphula, Laone Nthaga and Chidinma Nwodo about the YATEs program, their experience applying for it, and joining the first YATEs cohort as well as their path on trade and professional development. So, super excited about this conversation.

Kellie Kemock: All right. Well, let's meet the YATEs. If we can start with Laone, would you be able to give us a brief introduction and let us know who you are.

Laone Nthaga: Thanks so much, Kellie! My name is Laone, as you've already introduced me, and I am a finance and investment professional. Currently working for an African DFI, the Trade-in Development bank, here based in Mauritius. My day job is providing finance to facilitate trade-in development on the African continent. We currently work with about 24 African countries and on various trade and development projects and various sectors. Personally I'm passionate about facilitating and creating opportunities for the meaningful participation of women and youth in Africa's growth story, as well as leveraging technology and innovation in accelerating financial inclusion. In my not so free time, I'm also a social entrepreneur. I'm currently working on two projects. One is an investment fund by women for women in business, and the second one is an app-based women empowerment platform called Bellona Womens Network, which is a networking platform with the core mission of building a community of female professionals that lift as they rise. So that's basically what I do and what I'm about in a nutshell. 

Kellie Kemock: Excellent. Wow. Thank you. Chidinma, would you be able to introduce yourself?

Chidinma Nwodo: Yes! Thank you Kellie! My name is Chidinma, as you said. I am an international development specialist with over eight years experience managing development projects across Africa. I'm Nigerian and I'm very passionate about gender equality and trade. My core passion is actually seeing how to better mainstream gender equality, social inclusion and climate action into project implementation in Africa and globally, and being a part of the TradeExperettes hopefully will give me the opportunity to mainstream these different projects that I do. Thank you.

Kellie Kemock: Excellent. And Lechani, would you be able to introduce yourself as well?

Lechani Kgangyame: Greetings everyone. My name is Lechani Kgangyame, I'm a 29 year old young Batswana woman. I come from humble beginnings in Botswana. if I'm to describe myself, I could say I'm an opinionated young lady, an initiator, a change agent, and a development activist. My line of interest goes from social development programs, and my current top interest is in financial inclusion. Currently, I'm serving my internship with the Ministry of Finance, at the development section, specifically working under development programs to help with the yearly budgets, with the national development plans, with the transformational plans, and general expenditure and progress of development programs across all ministries. One of the things that changed my life was when I got a chance to do my postgraduate studies with University of Botswana through a scholarship by one company in Botswana, Botswana Insurance Holdings Limited, and ultimately I got a chance to attend a joint facility of electives in Kenya, where we got a chance to associate with several students from other countries. In that platform, it's when, the leaders made a point to us to understand that every year, each country bring less women to the Forum, and I was proud to be a Batswana and from the University of Botswana as well, because we are the only country that brought as many women as possible. So, my interest also lies in activating women and empowering them to be seen in other platforms that men are dominating. 

Belén Gracia: Thank you, Lechani. Pelontle, could you please introduce yourself? 

Pelontle Maphula: My name is Pelontle Maphula, I'm currently the Managing Director of Solar World Botswana. My initial education development was in Botswana, at the University of Botswana. I actually majored in economics and then, after studying economics, I was working as a researcher in Botswana Institute for Trade and Development. So, after working there, I decided to go and pursue my studies further. And then I was so interested and so intrigued with studying in Asia. So I went to study in Japan. I have a master's in economics that I got from Reitaku University in Japan.  When I was in Japan, what stood out for me was the fact that there was solar everywhere, there was renewable energy everywhere. And then, the funny part is that they didn't have as much sunlight as we have. So I would visit different places and I find solar panels everywhere, and then I started being interested in learning more about them. And then I fell in love with renewable energy. I worked in Tokyo under a company that specializes in renewable energy. What stood out for me was that these people are taking advantage of the sun and they're actually solving most of their energy needs. And then I looked at where I come from, there are some areas that don't have energy access, and then a simple installation of a solar system can solve that. We, as Botswana, don't have water because we're a landlocked country. And then you look at the fact that If you could install a solar system in some remote area, you are not only solving the issue of energy, but we are also solving the issue of water. Since we don't have water, we have to dig underground for water. So for the farmers out there to be able to make enough to produce enough food, for the sake of the country being sustainable in terms of food production, we have to be able to provide them with water and with energy. So that was my main interest. 

And then from there, since then, I've been working with renewable energy. But at the same time, I'm very passionate about economics, especially the trade economics, seeing the positive results that it has brought in my life because I, I trade on a daily basis, I buy, and I import and export on a daily basis. So I'm really, really grateful for the opportunity to be part of the YATEs.

Kellie Kemock: Amazing. Amazing! 

 Well, Lechani and Laone, maybe you could let us know what drew your interest to the YATEs program?

Laone Nthaga: Thanks Kellie! I think I was quite excited when I saw the ad calling for applications to join the YATEs program, but there are three things that stood out for me about the opportunity. I think for me, the opportunity presented itself as an opportunity to engage with the diverse community of change agents who are committed to learning and evolving for their own personal growth, as well as to serve the different causes which they are passionate about and which they're involved in. And as an aspiring finance and trade policy expert, I saw this as an opportunity to learn, collaborate with like-minded individuals to contribute to the global goal of shared prosperity, and building back better. I think that's the theme that's on everybody's mouth and mind, is how do we collaborate to learn from the past, unlearn and build back better. So that was really my motivation for applying for the YATEs program. And one thing that has really stood out for me about the YATEs program, and I know Hanna talks about this a lot, is that we are not here to compete, but to co-create. And I think that's the beauty of being part of a group like TradeExperettes.

Kellie Kemock: I love that! 

Belén Gracia: me too! And Hanna, Hanna Norberg, the TradeExperettes Presidette, she's one of the TradeExperettes that is working directly with the YATEs in this fellowship program, so you will have the chance to absorb much more of her wisdom during this year.

And now, Lechani in your case, what drew your interest in the YATEs program?

Lechani Kgangyame: The first thing that caught my eye about the advert was that the program was specifically for women. So I got so excited to be part of the first women to be mentored, to be taken through a professional development, especially seeing that I'm just a new graduate. Secondly, the idea that I'm a new young professional and I would get a chance to get mentored by different experienced women from across the world was also exciting for me, as I felt like I could get an exposure of different experiences and insights and knowledge from different people who have been here before me.

Belén Gracia: That's great. So now, Pelontle and Chidinma, in your case, what do you hope to get out of the program?

Chidinma Nwodo: Thanks Belén! I actually hope the YATEs program serves as a training ground, or platform for developing career and life skills. From my experience so far, I can tell that the program will definitely boost my confidence in public speaking, and better develop my writing skills, which is something that is very important to me. I also hope that the mentorship aspect of the program would help me create and be a part of a network of not just trade professionals, but also ambitious women who want to make an impact, make a difference in the world. I definitely think that at the end of my one year in this program there would be a difference in my career, in my life and in my association with people, and in general.

Belén Gracia: Perfect! We hope the program also has that effect on you as well. and Pelontle, do you want to share with us, what do you hope to get out of the Yates program?

Pelontle Maphula: First and foremost, I would like to thank you all for the opportunity to be participating in this Platform today. What I hope to get out of the program is the opportunity to be mentored. As young people, sometimes you have a big dream, you have visions and goals, and sometimes you don't know the direction that you are supposed to go. And then on top of that, It's possible that because things can get really challenging, and if you are doing what I'm doing, I'm an entrepreneur in Botswana, and in one of the toughest industries, it's an engineering industry, it's a male dominated industry. So my hopes for joining the YATEs program is that it could offer me the platform to be part of a group and then get mentored, and then at the same time get inspired by other young women who are also, even if it's not the same industry, but they're also trying to conquer whatever industry that they are in right now. So the main thing that I wanted to get out of the YATEs program was to feel like I belong to some sort of group just so that I could have that comfort of knowing that, you know what, I'm not the only one who's trying to achieve something in this life. And apart from the mentorship and the inspiration, I was also hoping that I could be an inspiration to someone somewhere out there who's also trying to achieve something, and they keep getting the notion or the idea that this is impossible, or this is getting difficult. I believe the relationship that we have developed with the girls, with the people that we are constantly meeting up with, with Hannah, with Bogolo, it's been a really great platform that offers us a chance to really learn and grow. So mainly those are the three main things that I was hoping that I could get. 

Belén Gracia: That's amazing. And I have no doubts that you are already an inspiration for many women and that you will be for many more.

Pelontle Maphula: Oh, thank you so much.

Kellie Kemock: The next question for Lechani and Pelontle, what aspect of the YATEs program have you enjoyed the most so far? So, you know, participating in this program, what have you experienced and what are the highlights so far? 

Lechani Kgangyame: Thank you for the question. I think coming to the YATEs program, the first week of introduction, it wasn't clear what the program was going to be about, so, I was anxious and I was in a space trying to figure out what exactly we were going to do. Do we need to prepare something beforehand? I had so many questions, but at the end of the day, one thing that caught my attention is that this program is meant to empower us. This program is meant to develop us because it's a self monitored program. If you don't work on yourself, nothing about you is going to change, you are the one who needs to sit down and figure out what area of your professional life you do want to change, what aspects do you want to see an improvement after a year. So, then you approach the ladies who can help you with that, and then you put an effort into that. That's one thing that I love about the program, because we are not being spoon fed. It's an effort for an effort. You bring your effort out and by your effort then you'll get help. We don't get given everything like that, you work for yourself and you get mentored on what you want to develop. We are not treated as a group and given a well-rounded exercise at once. So that's what caught my eye about this program.

Belén Gracia: Thank you for that, Lechani. And Pelontle, what about you? What aspects have you enjoyed the most so far? 

Pelontle Maphula: I've really been enjoying the monthly meetings, they've been quite informative because each and every meeting there's a different topic of discussion and then there's an expert for different fields that we could participate in. But I think for me, the highlight of the program was being able to attend the WTO Public Forum. Because, out of the Public Forum, I made a lot of friends in different industries, and then I have also been able to link up with a business partner for my industry, which was very, very useful. I really learnt a lot. I appreciated the opportunity to participate in a program of that scale and also to be exposed to meet people of such caliber. I mean, it was a really, really great opportunity for me.

Belén Gracia: That's fantastic. Thank you Pelontle. And now we're gonna go to Laone and Chidinma for another question. But this one is related to participation of women in trade negotiations and policy making. So what do you think the strength of increasing this participation, the participation of women in trade negotiations and policy making relies on?

Laone Nthaga: Thanks, Belén. I'll give it a stab. I think the participation and inclusion of women really relies on us being able to have capacity building and awareness at the grassroots level. And, there's a famous saying by a scientist, Isaac Newton, who says "if I've ever seen further, it's by standing on the shoulders of giants." So I believe that sponsorship and mentorship by other trade experts, like the YATEs program, for example, is aiming to do as critical in opening more doors for women in the trade space to participate and to have our voices heard. I think we keep talking quite a lot about representation and why representation matters and that we cannot move forward with a growth story that represents everybody, if everybody's not involved in how that growth is crafted and how that growth is driven and how that growth is implemented. So, I believe the participation of women is critical in enhancing representation, in enhancing the impact that trade has on the livelihoods of people across the globe. So I think we need to do more in terms of empowering the girl child and the young people that are coming up in academics, and even further down in primary schools, and have young women aspiring to be trade experts. I mean, I grew up with a business background, but I never thought about being a trade expert as a career. I knew I could be an accountant, I could be an economist, I could go into finance, but I never was exposed to a trade career, trade negotiation, you know, trade policy and a lot of the different career paths that could come out in the field of trade. So I think what the TradeExperettes are doing right now to spotlight women in trade, women experts, it's quite a powerful tool in showing young women that are coming up in academia, in entrepreneurship, that there is room for them at the table where it concerns women in trade. So that's, that's what I think. 

Kellie Kemock: Thank you so much for bringing up that quote. It gives me chills every time. I love that. And that is exactly what we're trying to do, is to allow that next generation to stand on our shoulders. Right? I just love that. Thank you. Chidinma, did you wanna jump in next? 

Chidinma Nwodo: Yes! Thank you, Kellie. And, I couldn't agree more with Laone. I believe that participation of women depends on us, basically women in trade, and just like she said, the Young African TradeExperettes Program is a perfect example of how increasing the role of women in trade is up to us. The TradeExperettes have provided a great platform for young women to experience firsthand and learn how to obtain a seat at the table, learn to be good negotiators, learn to participate in meetings, learn policymaking. And this is exactly what the YATEs program is for. Also, as young women, we have to do our part, we have to work towards gaining that seat, we just can't relax and expect it to come to us. We have to put in the work, so that we can learn and gather the right skills and eventually get recognized. I mean it's not just about women in trade helping, it's about us putting in the effort and doing what we need to do so that we can gain a seat at the table. Also, I'd like to say policy makers also play a big role. They should and need to assess the potential impact of trade rules on various groups of people, women included, and develop policies based on the responses that they get. And hopefully when they develop policies, these policies would increase the role of women in trade based on the evidence that they collect. And yes, I believe that we ourselves as young women, women in trade experts and policy makers will play a big role. 

Kellie Kemock: Thank you. Amazing. This last question is for all of you and basically, you know, our prior conversation has touched on this, but TradeExperettes is a huge network of women and one of the huge benefits of being part of this network is getting to meet some amazing, amazing women. And I call it potentially "fangirling", like you get to meet some of your idols in this space, people who are really influential in trade are part of this organization and I've gotten to meet a few of them. So have you had that same experience and, and who might be, if you wanna call it your "Trade Experette crush" or who have you gotten to meet that maybe was one of your idols or a female trade expert crush, if you will? Chidinma? Did you wanna go first? 

Chidinma Nwodo: Yes! So, obviously for me it's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for many reasons. I mean, she's Nigerian, I'm Nigerian; she's from the Eastern part of Nigeria, I'm from the Eastern part of Nigeria, but also because I actually grew up watching her on television, listening to her. She was once the Minister of Finance in Nigeria. And I can tell you that from evidence, you can see how much she did for the country at that point in time. And I mean, who doesn't want to be a part of or be like someone who has made such a difference, made such an impact, made a huge difference in her country. So, she definitely is my trade crush.

Kellie Kemock: I love it! Laone? 

Laone Nthaga: So my trade crush is quite interesting because I didn't even know of her before I attended the Public Forum. And her name is professor Mariana Mazzucato, I hope I'm saying her name right. And she was one of the speakers in one of the opening plenary sessions at the Forum, and I just loved how she had such a cutting edge perspective in terms of how the private sector and the public sector can come together, and how trade can work in a new way and actually, a new way of the global economy working in a way that debunks a lot of public versus private sector myths. And, in my day-to-day job, I do a lot of work in terms of Finding a nexus where the public sector and the private sector can work together for the good of the different countries in which we invest in. And, she had some great ideas in terms of how we really rethink the relationship on PPPs, how we rethink the relationship between the public and the private sector. And, I think one of her books that I'm currently reading is actually on the Mission Economy and it's titled "A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism". So she's definitely my new trade crush and I'm following a lot of her work and I just think she has an amazing mind. So that's my trade crush. 

Kellie Kemock: Thanks for that book recommendation. I just looked it up. I'm gonna go buy a copy and I'll read it as well. Thanks, perfect.

Belén Gracia: Pelontle, do you want to share with us also, who's your "Trade Experette crush"?

Pelontle Maphula: I'm actually conflicted between Hanna and Bogolo. I'm in love with both of them. I've really been following Bogolo's career from the time when she was the Minister of trade and industry here in Botswana, and I've really learnt a lot from her. Like for example, she's the one who started the campaign for Botswana actually endorsing the Botswana made products during her tenure, she called it "PushaBW", which actually got to put the entrepreneurs that are in the country in the limelight, because sometimes we prioritize things that are, you know, imported from outside, forgetting to empower the local industries and then that also has an impact on employment, poverty, all of those things. So I really liked her work while she was a Minister here. And then, recently I got to meet Hanna, I'm just in love with Hanna's personality. She's like, work, work, work, and then at the same time, she's offering you a hug and just comforting you. So I'm really grateful that I've gotten a chance to intermingle with both of them. So, I can´t pick, sorry! 

Belén Gracia: You're allowed to have two crushes. It's totally fine. . . 

And Lechani. Do you want to go ahead and tell us who's your "trade experette crush"? 

Lechani Kgangyame: I think as a young Batswana economist, my trade experette crush is obvious, is Bogolo Kenewendo. As a young Batswana economist, she's the first contact point when you talk about career development and advancement, and just doing well for yourself. So, right from school, she was the, she was the only thing we could talk about, to a point where coming to the interview for the TradeExperettes, I panicked. She was the only big person on the screen and I couldn't even say anything. So, it's such a pleasure to get to be mentored by her and her colleagues, to work closely with her and just to get insights from her. The other day, I actually texted one of my colleagues who is doing this program with me, I think it was on the December meeting when everybody kept saying "I'm tired, everything is going so fast," and Bogolo had something to say to us, She said, " it's not like things come to you easily or you just find them working out on their own. I'm also very tired, I'm also very busy, I sacrificed to make time to be here". So we had a chat outside the group and I'm like, so whatever we have been admiring, it means that we have to put in work, we need to sacrifice. This woman specifically puts more work into what she does. She doesn't just get to make it out there. So Bogolo is my "trade experette crush." 

Kellie Kemock: It's so inspiring. 

And also we have some special episodes coming up. Belén, what do we have coming up? 

Belén Gracia: Yes! So this year we're teaming up with a group of YATEs and we are gonna have a special episodes series, that it's gonna be called "YATEs Take Over the TradeExperettes Podcast". We are gonna have our first conversation probably in March, with Bogolo, and I think we're gonna call it "Hot Chocolate with Bogolo", right Ladies?

Chidinma Nwodo: Yes! We hope to launch an episode called Hot Chocolate with Bogolo, just to talk to her and learn about her experiences as a Trade Experette and also learn what it took for her to get where she is, what she has done, what advice she has for those of us who are hoping to get there. And, you know, just the best parts of her experiences, and how it can help us and inspire the rest of us. Looking forward to that. 

Belén Gracia: Yes, we are looking forward to that as well. And so stay tuned because we are gonna have many more "YATEs Take Over the TE Podcast" along the year.

Chidinma Nwodo: That's great and exciting. 

Kellie Kemock: Excellent! Thank you so much for all of your insight and it has gotten me super excited for, you know, networking in general, the upcoming episodes. I loved learning about your experience with the YATEs program and I so look forward to hearing more about it. So keep posted for new episodes and we'll talk soon. Thank you so much!

 The Trade Expertss Podcast is hosted by me, Kellie Kemock, 

Belén Gracia: and by me Belén Gracia, and I'm also the executive producer. 

Kellie Kemock: If you would like to know more about the TradeExperettes, you can find us online at tradeexperettes.org, on LinkedIn and Twitter. Join us!