Dr Nancy Onyango

Director of Internal Audit, International Monetary Fund (IMF)

How long have you been working in international development?

I’ve been working at the IMF for only three years while my career spans over three decades, so the novelty of employment in international development is still fresh. Prior to joining IMF, I worked in private sector professional services firms. However I did work with several development agencies providing consulting services to governments, government agencies and partners that they sponsored in various capacities. This included monitoring donor-funded projects, advising on structuring proposals or bids, assessing if recipient organisations had the capacity to absorb funds, assessing governance, systems and internal controls structures to deliver outputs aligned to development partner objectives, so it wasn’t entirely alien.

One thing I have noted is the difference in performance measure and motivators used within the commercial corporate world versus those used within development. The private sector is predominantly about the impact on the bottom line measured in dollars and cents - any other outcomes are seen to be secondary. Whereas in development, it’s completely upside-down. Development actors do look at costs vs. benefits, but the end goal is much more intangible, and in a way, often significantly adding more value to an average person’s life. When you’re talking about poverty eradication or saving livelihoods, it’s hard to assign.a bottom-line value to that.

Where are you currently based?

The IMF, based in Washington DC, is primarily a ‘HQ-based organisation’ with less than 1/5 of the workforce based outside headquarters. I predominantly work in DC given that Internal Audit is a corporate and operational function.

“... I have never felt so Black in my life”

What has been the biggest personal challenge you have faced in International development?

Much as I have visited the US several times, I never lived here, prior to taking up this job. I always believed I could live anywhere and adjust., and indeed I had done so successfully before. I still believe that, but I must admit that I have found the US to be a country of extremes in more ways than I had anticipated. Like me, many around the world recently witnessed multiple incidences around racism and police brutality., especially towards persons of African descent.

I had not realised how extreme the polarisation is, something that has become even more apparent since the death of George Floyd in May 2020. You all recently saw the Capitol Hill building attacked and desecrated by no less than US citizens. I know the rest of the world is surprised, but having lived here, even if only for three years, I’m not as surprised as I would have been had I not moved to the US.

That’s been the biggest eye-opener and it confirms me that one doesn’t really get to know a place until you’ve lived there. Growing up in Africa, we were sold the idea of the “American dream.” We saw this in movies, heard it from visitors, read about it, or even aspired to pursue it one day. But living in the US, I have learnt that the American dream for many is just that - a dream! Many still live in hope of realising it or giving their children the opportunity to pursue it.

One thing I do like about the US is that it is so diverse. It’s such a melting pot of interesting stories of lives lived, journeys travelled and tales of how people came to be in the US or of where they came from. It’s their biggest strength but also their biggest bone of contention. Some people feel they have more rights of ownership having been there longer than people who arrived more recently. But then, there are also descendants of slaves who have been there for more than 400 years and are not afforded the same sense of entitlement. That’s been an eye-opener too.

“It is such an honour to be an African in such a senior position”

What is the most exciting aspect of your job working as Director of Internal Audit at the IMF?

Before I answer that question, one thing that I have experienced being in the US, is that I have never felt so Black in my life. Even though I have lived and worked in many countries where I’m in the minority, I wasn’t made to feel that way to the extent that I can see it now. Over the years, I have met many people who aspire to live and work in the US, with the idea that “you made it!” if you got an opportunity to visit, live or work in the US - I believed that consciously and subconsciously for the longest time.

While I considered it subconsciously, I am now totally convinced that I have ascended to the point where I am today, to a large extent, because I did not grow up in a society that would treat me differently because of the colour of my skin. When you ask me what is the most exciting aspect of the job, for me, it is such an honour to be an African in such a senior position.

There were very few Africans in senior positions when I started. I think I was the second African at my level, the other one being the Director for Africa. So, from that perspective, that was an achievement. I must add that it has now changed. In the three years I have been there, there are now eight or so Black people in senior management.

Being one of few Africans in senior management, I do feel that I carry the weight of and represent a very downtrodden and previously overlooked continent. I must perform at the highest level and uphold values of those that I represent. I don’t want to mess up - I feel like I’m carrying the burden of my continent, which is massive. It makes me very proud and even more determined to not ‘let the continent down’.

But you know what’s interesting is that I know I can do it, and consider it a privilege and an honour. Being the underdog in many cases makes you work even harder to prove you are capable of doing the job. That’s something I have done for years as a woman working in a. male-dominated environment. IMF is majority male as well. For a long time, I knew that I had to be super well-prepared, to develop the technical, managerial and leadership expertise, to be better than others to survive. I have striven to do this for most of my career, and the beauty of doing exactly that for the long haul is that you get better at what you do and often end up being the best at what you do.

Being the Director of Internal Audit is a privilege. I have access to privileged information about the organisation in order to do my job. That is a massive responsibility. In fact, when I first took up the job, I found it intimidating. But I feel very comfortable with my role and what I do, and what value I can add. I do want to leave a legacy. I want to leave things better than when I got there. That’s a motto I’ve used throughout my career, in my marriage, in my house, at church, in different places. I want to do the same at the IMF.

Why did you make the jump from the private sector to international development?

I wish there was a lot of meaning behind it. To be honest, I was head-hunted for this job. Somebody called me and pursued me. I was actually very happy where I was as I had set up my own consulting firm and was providing mentorship to young women in my free time, working with mid-career corporate professionals who aspired to move up the corporate ladder - I have a Doctoral degree in Strategic Leadership, where I focused on the lack of female CEOs in the corporate world, and the contributing factors behind this.

In addition, I provided financial planning services to professional women given my own accounting background. As it were, the head-hunter approached me with an interesting pitch. It opened my mind to new possibilities. I had done so many different things in my life and saw an opportunity where I could utilise all the knowledge and experience, I’d gained over the years and bring it to this role. It was like a coronation at the peak of my career.

“Invest in family and career at different points in time.”

How do you balance family with work? What advice would you give Black female professionals who would like to succeed at both?

Anne-Marie Slaughter wrote an article in The Atlantic entitled “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” and it talked about the challenges women faced as child-bearers and nurturers. She was vilified for the article because she was a mother, a wife and a very senior professional who seemed to have it all, and so how could she say other women couldn’t do the same. But what I understood from the article is you can’t have it all at the same time.

It’s about investing in different things at different points in time, be it family or career. There are two strategies I have used over the years. One behind having a board of mentors, similar to a Board of Directors in companies. Each mentor plays a different role, each contributing different backgrounds and skillsets. I discuss strategy with them.

Second, your choice of partner is critical, assuming you have a partner. This is the one person who can support you and allow you to soar or they can bring you down. The same applies for the friends you surround yourself with. Having people with the right attitude and the ability to support you is crucial if you want to succeed.

As a minority in many ways, I learnt that societies impose certain guidelines, rules, societal norms and expectations that, for example, suggest that women should be less of a career person and defer to the man. I say to all girls and women, question that and educate yourself.

Choosing when and how to invest in family is important too. Ever since my children were young, I told them I would treat them as I did my clients. Cllents are king in my professional world. My professional assistant would schedule school events such as sports matches, performances or plays, and even mundane PTA events and meetings, as client meetings in my calendar - but only if my children gave me advance notice they would like me to attend. I treated these ‘events’ with the same respect as I did my professional clients.

I remember one time I had a client meeting in Uganda and I was due to fly back to attend my son’s play at the end of the week. At the last minute, the client tried to extend the meeting by a day. I declined and informed him I had another client meeting that Friday. I flew out in time to see my son perform in his school play, but to my surprise, the client’s wife was in the audience as well. She was equally surprised to see me there, mentioning the other client she thought I was due to see that day. I replied this was true and that the important client meeting was my son’s play.

I did this for fifteen or so years during my career. I worked nights and weekends in order to make sure that when my children needed me to be there. Don’t let go of your career at any point in time but don’t expect to be moving at the same pace and at the top of your game all the time. You will fail at something - either family or work. Eventually you will have to settle fore something less. Work with what works. Find a strategy that works for you. Hopefully, like in my case, it will all come together in the end.

I dedicate this article to my 3 sons whom I am immensely proud of, who benefitted and suffered in equal measure as I pursued my personal goals.