Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba

Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba
Masire-Mwamba in 2012
3rd Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General
In office
2008–2014
Personal details
NationalityBotswana

Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba is a Botswana administrator and an international civil servant, with over 30 years senior-level experience in the fields of business, development and multilateral diplomacy.[1] Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba was the Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General[2] from 2008 to 2014.[3]

Background and education

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Masire-Mwamba was born Gabaipone Masire on 7th March 1960,[4] Kanye to parents - Ketumile Quett Joni and Gladys Olebile Masire and grew up in Gaborone where she started her schooling Thornhill Primary School.[5] The name Gabaipone was given to her in honor of her father's mother Gabaipone. With such a big name one usually adopts a substitute, Mmasekgoa; which for her, it ended up overshadowing her real name.[5]

She was then admitted to the University of London graduating with a Bachelor of Science electronics and physics major.[6] In 1990 she obtained a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Pittsburgh.[1] Masire-Mwamba holds a Bachelor of Law degree (LLB) from University of South Africa, UNISA[4] and an Advanced Management Diploma from IESE Business School, Spain.[1][7] She is a certified executive coach and trainer, having established a private company offering soft skills training focusing on Leadership Accountability and Board Governance.[1]

Masire-Mwamba was the first Motswana Chief-Executive Officer at the Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA),[8][7] Botswana's national Investment Promotion Agency.[1][9]

In 2009, she has been recognised in the legal field by the Honourable Society of Middle Temple Inn awarding her Honorary Bencher.[9]

In November 2015, she came second to Patricia Scotland from Dominica in the voting to become Commonwealth Secretary-General, losing by 26 votes to 24.[10][11] She was awarded an International Women in Leadership by Dr. Long, at the London Political Summit in 2018[1] and has served as the President for Botswana Women in Business.[9]

Personal Life

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Masire-Mwamba is married to Trevor Mwamba, formerly Bishop of Botswana and formerly Rector of Barking, East London.[12]She has three children.[4]

Recognition

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She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2013.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Botswana, Embassy of. "Ambassador". Embassy of Botswana. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba at the UNDP Regional Dialogue for Africa, Pan African Parliament". Commonwealth. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Former Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat Ms. Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba meets with ACP Secretary General". Acp.int. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b c "Ambassadors in Germany". diplomatisches-magazin.de. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Coming of age - Masekgoa Masire-Mwamba". Botswana Daily News.
  6. ^ "Masters of the Bench". Middle Temple. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Speaker Details.A glimpse into the background of our speaker". www.myleadafrica.org. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Ambassadors in Germany". diplomatisches-magazin.de. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba completes two terms, as the Deputy Secretary-General for The Commonwealth" (PDF). commonwealth.org.
  10. ^ "Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba". The Centre for Global Inclusion | Home of the GDIB. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  11. ^ Khunwane, Thelma (29 November 2015). "Botswana: Masire-Mwamba Puts Up Strong Fight". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  12. ^ Centre for Global Inclusion — Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba (Accessed 14 May 2018)
  13. ^ "100 Women: Who took part?". BBC News. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2022.