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Staff profile: Kemi Williams

Kemi Williams is a UK-based DFID employee, working in our regional office for Southern Africa in Pretoria, where she is a social development adviser.

What do you do and how did you come to work for DFID?

Kemi Williams, social development adviser, south africa I joined DFID in January 1999 as a technical co-operation officer (TCO) after spending many years working in development education in the UK and having set up an NGO working on gender and development issues.

I applied for a position as a social development adviser in DFID while working in Nigeria for the Ford Foundation on governance and democracy issues.

Describe your typical day

There is no regular routine which is what I love about the job! There are some common tasks that I have to perform most days including keeping up with the ever-present e-mails and attending internal and external meetings with DFID partners.

Much of my work involves exchanging views with partners, meeting government officials to discuss our country strategy and travelling to different parts of southern Africa to assess and monitor our programmes.

I fit these in between a wide variety of other tasks like developing regional policies for the southern Africa region, and attending conferences to stay up-to-date on what's happening in my field.

What does it feel like to work for DFID?

Kemi Williams with her family I feel very much at home in DFID. I never realized that being a civil servant could be so challenging or varied, although all my experience has so far been overseas. I have yet to work in either of the UK offices so my view may be a bit skewed.

There are days when the civil servant aspect of my role is very important. This includes writing briefs for ministers, for example, or writing or reviewing minutes of meetings. But there are other days when I feel more like a development worker - it's the combination of the two that keeps me interested and challenged.

What is the most important thing I've learned since working for DFID? That patience and a sense of humour can get you through the most intractable of situations...

Any advice for someone who wants to work in development?

Get overseas experience in whatever way you can and don't be afraid to try the 'difficult' places. Research the different types of development organizations, what they do and where and how they work and then make a game plan for your career.

I spent many years trying to get into development (thinking two development degrees were my passport in) and only working on the margins until I took a three month job in Nigeria - everyone thought I was mad to go there but I was the best thing I ever did.