United Nations
Development Programme

Plot 24 Prince Charles Drive, Kololo

P.O Box 7184

Kampala, Uganda

Tel: (256) 414-233440/1/2/5

Fax: (256) 414-344801

Email: registry.ug@undp.org

By Pamela Odudoh, Project Support Specialist, UNDP

I was born in Nairobi, Kenya and I’m the first of three girls and three boys. I have lived and worked in Nairobi until now, and this was my first experience outside Nairobi, Kenya. My experiences working as an International United Nations Volunteer (IUNV) in Uganda have been quite challenging and yet also very fulfilling. The job includes procurement support for projects as well as capacity building for procurement. The service centre has assisted in helping staff with buyer profiles in the country office attain procurement certification, that is mandatory for all staff who have procurement roles.

During the time that the service centre has been in operation, we have succeeded in presenting 7 cases to Advisory Committee on Procurement (ACP) in 2006 for a value of US$ 887,026; up from only 2 cases presented in 2005 for US$ 319,340. From January 2007 to end of September 2007, 8 cases totaling to US$ 1,471,962 have been submitted to ACP by the Service Centre, with average of 80.5% of cases approved after first review. The total country office delivery improved from USD 7.9 to 9.9 from 2005 to 2006.

The Service Centre has also established Long Term Agreement (LTA) with local Toyota Dealers who offer competitive prices, after sales service

and readily available spare parts. The service centre is currently working on establishing LTAs with stationery and furniture suppliers and IT and communication equipment suppliers. This will go a long way in improving service delivery since it will mean decentralizing procurement to the user department and also help realize savings both in the short and long run.

As part of my procurement activities, I have also taken part in supply market research resulting in identification of new reliable suppliers in both the local and international market. Perhaps one of my greatest achievements has been assisting in the setting up of the Ruhiira Millennium Village. The Millennium Villages Project focuses on participatory community decision making, combining the best of science with local knowledge, and in it’s efforts to achieve the MDGs, address an integrated and scaled-up set of interventions covering food production and processing, nutrition, education, health services, roads, energy, communications, water, sanitation, enterprise diversification and environmental management.

This project started its operations in March 2006 with the recruitment of 2 key staff, the science coordinator and an IT Manager. The service centre has played a major role in the recruitment of subsequent major staff making up the MVP team, setting up of the offices both in Mbarara and Ruhiira, and assisting in the procurement of project supplies, machinery and equipment, ranging from IT equipment, vehicles, seeds and fertilizers, water storage tanks, and most recently, energy saving Institutional Firewood Rocket Stoves for schools and other institutions. The achievements that the project has attained since its inception to date go a long way in proving that extreme poverty can become history

As a member of the Procurement Working Group in Uganda, chaired by the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), I have participated in workshops and worked with PPDA staff members to assess the national procurement systems of Uganda. Uganda has volunteered to be a pilot country for testing the common benchmarking and assessment methodology for National Procurement systems. This is part of the support for the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness where donors base their overall support on partner countries’ national development strategies, institutions and procedures.

The staff of UNDP Uganda have been welcoming and kind. I have met the most inspiring people here in Uganda. One of the people who has been a big inspiration to me is Johnson Nkuuhe, the Country MDG support advisor. He is full of charisma, very young at heart, a humble personality and a big sense of humor. The first time I went out to lunch, it was with him, when he introduced me to the MVP and its operations and the vision he has in ensuring the achievement of the MDGs in Uganda by 2015.

My supervisor Athman Kakiva is more than a supervisor, he is my mentor. I always joke that I enter his office with problems I cannot imagine having solutions and come out with a number of solutions to choose from. Despite his busy schedule, he always finds time to give consultations, a good team leader who gives one a chance to venture and grow professionally.

Indulgence: I enjoy the traditional Uganda ‘matoke’ (green bananas) with ground nut sauce, and having a real difficult time dealing with my weight. I also enjoy being with people who have a positive outlook on life.

Favorite quote: “Where there is a will, there is a way.” If you believe in something strongly, you will be able to find ways to make it happen. No dream is impossible to achieve.