Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella: Some Interesting Facts you might not know. ■First Sub-Saharan African Director General of United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) ■The first Sierra Leonean to be Chief Executive of a UN Development Agency and member of the UN’s Chief Executive Board. ■In recognition of his leadership and his passion for energy and environment-related causes, KKY was appointed as Chair of UN-Energy in 2008 by the United Nations Secretary-General. This followed a decision by the United Nations General Assembly to designate 2012 as the International Year for Sustainable Energy for All. ■Since 2008 he has also been an active member of the United Nations Development Group (UNDG), which helps to set and coordinate the global development priorities of the United Nations. ■During his undergraduate education at Njala University in Sierra Leone, he reportedly held the first position in his class for the entire four year maintaining a grade point average of 5.0 in his first year and never below 4.3 even with his active participation in student union politics and competed in the 400 and 800 meters races. ■1979-1980, Secretary General of Njala University Students Union at age 18 and a member of the Executive of the National Union of Sierra Leonean Students (NUSS). ■1981-82 Students Union President at Njala University College. ■As a graduate student at the College of Agriculture, University of Illinois USA, he was the first Assistant to the Dean of Minority Affairs. Upon graduation, he became the first African or Black faculty member at the Department of Agricultural Economics at Michigan State University USA. ■Sense of Responsibility: At age 12, KKY was charged with the privilege and responsibilities to serve as school monitor at Christ King College (CKC). His responsibilities at school included ringing bell as notification for change of classes, ringing the bell at boarding home to announce study time, play time, meal time, bed time etc. From then till he reached upper-six, KKY was a Prefect or Monitor for all sorts of things. CKC taught him Responsibility, Service and Humility. ■A Readiness for Leadership: In 1977, when KKY got to lower-six, the teachers decided for the first time that the students should elect their senior prefect from a short-list of three nominees provided by the principal and staff. Three best friends, KKY, Sam and Joseph, sleeping in the same 8x8 room, had to compete, campaign and debate in front of their fellow students. KKY was introduced to politics! He ran a smart campaingn and in the end, he won the election and became the senior prefect. ■Gods Time is the Best: In 1989, KKY desperately wanted to be a young professional in the UN and World Bank but it did not happen. He went on to be Assistant to the Dean University of Illinois College of Agriculture, and then Assistant Professor at Michigan State University. ■In 1996 two decades later, KKY was called to join the UN at much higher level, (a director at age 36). ■When KKY ran for the election to the post of Director General of UNIDO in 2005, he was dismissed by his opponents because he was the youngest candidate and they said his country did not have international clout. Well, as he did for the senior prefect election, he ran a smart global campaign, focussing on his superior knowledge and practical experience within the UN and he won the election by a landslide. ■In 2009, KKY ran unopposed for a second term as UNIDO Director-General Watch this space for more….
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 19:20:27 +0000
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