A Look Back on My Career Journey

Written by - Wame Sedirwa- Msc, MCIPS Chart, CIPS L6, Dip Acc

February 2008 marks a very significant moment in my career, as it is the year and month I chose to embark on a procurement journey. I decided to dedicate my efforts to this field, willing to make any sacrifice necessary to ensure it gained the recognition it deserved in my country, Botswana. I was only 18 years old at the time and had just completed my secondary education. Living in a developing country like Botswana required careful consideration when choosing a career, mindful of the opportunities available in the job market. However, this was not the only factor that fuelled my passion for Procurement.

Here is how it all began:

My father was pursuing his CIPS studies and would often receive supply chain magazines in the post. I became intrigued by the growth of this profession, particularly during the most challenging global economic era due to the financial crisis in 2008. Unemployment rates escalated during this period, but interestingly, the demand for procurement professionals in global supply chains was increasing. At a time when many were seeking debt forgiveness and payment holidays, procurement was focusing on reopening contracts and renegotiating costs to prevent firms from going into liquidation.

This situation caused a surge in the demand for the best procurement professionals, as companies began to recognise the significant contribution they could make to business success, both during difficult times and in the future.

In the public sector, procurement constitutes a substantial part of government budgets. If not managed correctly, this can lead to waste, abuse, fraud, etc. Conversely, effective public procurement can result in substantial savings, as well as improvements in three critical project management aspects: Quality, Cost, and Time.

I knew that the journey I was about to embark on would not be an easy one. Procurement as a profession was in its early stages in my country. It had, truth be told, been one of those areas significantly ignored or overlooked in both my country and many others globally. Gaining recognition in corporate settings would require extra effort and sacrifices from dedicated professionals like myself.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new”.

I must concede that CIPS has globally facilitated the transformation of procurement, and its global recognition paved the way for us to shape the procurement landscapes in our respective countries.

After completing my CIPS Advanced Diploma qualification in 2013, I was employed by the Government of Botswana, under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. I was stationed at Local Authorities (Lobatse Town Council – Procurement Officer). The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) is tasked with providing policy direction and guidance for socio-economic and rural development at the local level. It formulates and monitors the implementation of policies related to local government.

After struggling to attain my Level 5 in 2013, I nearly lost hope in continuing with my studies, but as they say...

“Experience is the teacher of all things.”

Fuelled by my determination to witness and be a part of the change in my country, "fear was not an option". I confidently embarked on my Professional Diploma Level 6 in 2017 and, by God's grace, I sailed through all the modules without any obstacles. Without wasting any time, I did what was necessary and upgraded my status to MCIPS in 2018

"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did." - Newt Gingrich

Now, growing up as a young girl, I always knew I was different. From primary school onwards, I was the pupil who was eager to go to school in the morning, ready to share the lessons I had gleaned from the novel I had read the night before with my classmates. I was always actively involved in class discussions, ensuring that everyone understood the topics of discussion, regardless of their individual IQ levels. I wasn’t the most academically gifted, but I identified myself as a bright child and believed that any knowledge I possessed was meant to be shared, with the potential to change a life in the process.

"You find that information is only of value if you give it to people who have the ability to do something with it. The fact that I know something has zero value if I'm not the person who can actually make something better because of it...instead of knowledge is power...sharing is power.” - Stanley McChrystal

This leads us to my current mission: sharing what I know to foster the change my country, and indeed the world, needs in Procurement. I have managed to create a networking platform for procurement professionals in Botswana. This WhatsApp group, created in 2016, aims to share information on how to execute our daily duties at work, encourage each other to upgrade professionally, discuss the challenges we face in our profession, and potentially come up with solutions. This group has more than 600 participants from all sectors.

Within my ministry, I am frequently called upon to assist other local authorities with various procurement process challenges. My professional experiences inspired me to further upgrade my CIPS membership status to MCIPS Chartered, and I didn’t stop there. I continued and completed an MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, which I successfully finished in April 2023. Currently, I am contemplating embarking on a journey to earn a Ph.D. in Supply Chain Management with the University of Kwa Zulu Natal.

I am presently serving as an Assistant Manager-Procurement at the North East District Council – Local Authority. This position is currently the highest procurement management role in the organisational structure, making me the youngest manager in the institution at 33 years of age.

- Wame Sedirwa- Msc, MCIPS Chart, CIPS L6, Dip Acc