User:M Nkandu

Maureen Nkandu Maureen Mumbi Nkandu (born 1st May 1967) in Lusaka, Zambia, is Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Pretoria, South Africa. She an international journalist and communications expert and Zambia’s most celebrated television personality. She began her broadcasting career at an early age of eighteen, a year after completing high school, the youngest ever journalist to work for Zambia Broadcasting Services which later became Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, ZNBC. She has also had an illustrious career as news and current affairs anchor with the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC World Service Radio in London, and the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation in Johannesburg. 1.	Early Life

1.1	Childhood

Maureen Nkandu works as Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Pretoria, South Africa. She was born in Lusaka Zambia to Faxon Misheck Nkandu, a renowned journalist and freedom fighter and Grace Maureen Nkandu, a social worker and business women. She grew up in a middle class family and it was clear for an early age that her passion lay in journalism, having been inspired by her father who once worked as News Editor of the Times of Zambia, and Special Assistant for Media Affairs to former Zambian president Dr Kenneth Kaunda. Maureen is eldest in family of five children although her mother and father had both been married before and had children from their previous marriages. 1.2	Education

Maureen began her primary education at Kilimani Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya, where her father worked as Communications Director of the All African Conference of Churches in the mid 1970’s. Her talent was identified at an early age by her nursery school teacher at nursery school who noticed that the she had a flare for speaking in public.After her family returned from Kenya in 1976, Maureen attended Northmead, Woodlands and later Lusaka Girls Primary School. It was at the latter school, that her public speaking career was launched, when in 1979, she read a speech on behalf of all Commonwealth children, to Queen Elizabeth II, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and other high level government ministers and diplomats who had gathered in the Zambian Capital for the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Summit. The speech was part of the activities to mark the launch of the United Nations International Year of the Child.During her high school years at Leopards Hill Secondary School from 1980 to 1985, Maureen cemented her passion and talent for public speaking; she chaired the debate club, wrote and read speeches on behalf of the school at public events and mastered the flare of the English language. She was also the editor of the schools’ monthly newsletter. Maureen studied for a Diploma in Journalism t the Indian Institute of Mass Communications in New Delhi, from 1989 to 1990. She also has a Masters Degree in Journalism from the University of Wales, in the United Kingdom and has had specialised training in radio and television, strategic communications and branding, public speaking, media relations and the spokesperson role. Her MA Thesis, Mfano Yetu, is on “The Image of Africa on BBC Television News”.

2.	Broadcasting Career

2.1 ZNBC: Maureen joined the then Zambia Broadcasting services, aged 18 as a Continuity Announcer in January 1986. Although she had not had prior training in journalism or broadcasting the young Maureen was offered the job due to her confidence and talent. From the age of seven, Maureen had resolved that she would be on television. She practiced regularly by reading news scripts in front of the mirror. Later in her teens, her on-camera presence impressed the TV station managers who offered her the role right away and once on the job Maureen was trained in various aspects of broadcasting. After her diploma and intensive training in presentation and production techniques, Maureen rose to post of Television news Anchor and reporter. Her unique presentation style, elegant dress code, confidence, eloquence and understanding of the news she read won her many fans, many who still refer to her the most prominent TV personality in Zambia. She also won awards for the country’s best newsreader for four consecutive years, from 1989 to 1992 when she left ZNBC.

2.2 BOP TV: In 1993 Maureen joined BOP TV in the former Bophuthatswana homeland, which is now the North West Province of South Africa. She landed the prime job of lead presenter of the weekly current affairs program Panorama, which she co-hosted with the late radio and TV personality, Aubrey Harris. In the same year she won the prestigious Marang Award for BOP TV’s best Television personality.

2.3 SABC Television: After her university studies in the UK offered a post as News reader at the country’s biggest broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation – SABC. Maureen had an illustrious career at the TV channel travelling the length and breadth of the Africa continent to cover civil war, elections, humanitarian and other development issues. She rose to become the Chief international Correspondent, the first female journalist ever to have that position in South African television. Her work also won her the nomination for courage in journalist by the International. She also got a commendation from the CNN Journalist of the Year Award, for her reporting of the civil war and conflicts in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Maureen later presented the Africa slot on the channel’s daily breakfast show, Morning Live.

2.4 BBC: In 2001, after four years at the SABC, Maureen joined the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC World Service in London as producer and presenter of the flagship programme Focus on Africa. Maureen spent six years in London, reporting on African issues in and outside the continent as well as other global news.

3.	United Nations

Maureen has been working for the United Nations since 2008. She joined the UN Development Program in Johannesburg as regional communications adviser for east and southern Africa, and later as Director of the UN information Centre also in South Africa In between she had a two year stint with the AU’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency, as Head of Communications.

Personal Life 1987 Engaged to Zambian football icon Kalusha Bwalya with whom she has a daughter 1996 – 2009 – Married to Daniel Mundea. Maureen is now divorced and has three children – a daughter and two sons.