The United Nations has offices in every corner of the world, so in order to share knowledge and work as a team, our staff need to be well connected. That’s where my job comes in. As an IT Assistant, my work ensures that my colleagues have the technical means and skills to deliver their work. Through addressing the United Nation’s internal telecommunication and networking needs, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I’m helping our staff carry out their critical tasks.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is one of the United Nations’ five regional commissions. Its mandate is to promote African development, regional integration and cooperation. From my office in Yaoundé, Cameroon, I am part of a sub-regional team that is working towards the goal of economic integration in Central Africa, which includes Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé and Príncipe.

My role covers all aspects of information and communication technology, from software and network administration to communication and training initiatives. One of my primary tasks is to conduct training throughout Central Africa on computer literacy. We have a programme that certifies United Nations personnel to use different software, improve their presentation skills and fix technical glitches, which not only helps participants do their jobs better, but also builds their professional capacity for the future.

I also conduct training programmes on the Economic Commission’s e-Employment programme, an initiative created in 2007. There is a lot of unemployment in Central Africa, and e-Employment provides recent graduates with tools to find jobs using the Internet and other information technology platforms. We help them refine their job search strategies, improve their CV-writing and teach them how to become ‘job-seekers’ instead of ‘job-waiters’. Initially set up in the Congo, the pilot programme helped a third of participants secure jobs soon after, and we have since rolled it out in other countries. Working firsthand with young people has been one of my most gratifying experiences with the United Nations.

Though the Economic Commission has made great strides in recent years to help Member States develop and implement national information and communication technology strategies, many of them lack sound, modern infrastructure. It can be difficult to send and download documents and sometimes our colleagues in the field have a tough time connecting with the office. The United Nations is working to provide guidance on these physical barriers to improvement, and we have had a number of successful workshops on advancing our plans. Applying technology to development initiatives like these at the ECA demonstrate the many different ways telecommunications and the Internet can be used to improve peoples’ lives. I’m proud to help bring the best new information technology to Africa.