“NADIF has been a real school for me”
Gérard Roger MOUNGUENGUI BOUASSAT holds a Master II degree in Strategic Human Resources Management and joined NADIF in 2012. He is an example of conversion in a technical field, the Applications Department (AD). For him, NADIF has been a real school, as he confided to our editorial team in this interview.
In which Department are you officing and what are your activities?
I’m an agent in the Applications Department (AD) of the User Services Unit (USU). We mainly install and maintain computers and train users in the use of applications developed by the NADIF at their request.
What is your background?
I hold a Master II degree in Strategic Human Resources Management. But over years at NADIF I became interested in IT jobs, first was networking, then IT maintenance and finally computer graphics. After a moment’s reflection, I decided to change career direction and joined the Applications Department (AD) to learn and practice IT maintenance.
How did you join NADIF?
I simply applied, by submitting to the human resources department.
During your career, at NADIF, what activities have you been involved in?
I started as a staff member in the Organisation, Strategy and Quality Unit (later the Audit, Quality and Strategy Department). When we moved to department, I was promoted from Office Manager to Head of department. During this period, I played an active role in participating to:
- NADIF’s strategic plan and its implementation,
- Agency’s strategic and operational objectives ;
- NADIF newspaper project: Le Numérik ;
- ICGA (Information Center for the Gabonese Administration) project, designed to improve collaboration between administrations, speed up files processing and to reduce users mobility;
- PMO (Project Management Office) project, designed to set a decision-making tool.
What is your job today and how does it impact NADIF Or Gabon in general?
Digital transformation is the key to our digital sovereignty. IT tools, and computers in particular, are at the heart of everything we do. A user or colleague who has a computer in good working order is more efficient and plays an active part in a rapidly developing administration. We are a chain, and since three years that I have been installing and maintaining computers and training USU users on the various business applications, I have been a link in that chain.
What challenges have you been facing at NADIF?
Changing jobs was a real challenge for me. Moving from a support job to a technical one and becoming a solid link in the chain to better satisfy my colleagues and the administration in general required me to adapt to new ways of thinking and working.
What do you mean by digital in Gabon today?
That’s the main thing.
What aspect of your job is more interesting for you?
The satisfaction of my staff and NADIF in general is a real leitmotiv.
What really pleases you at NADIF?
During my 12 years of activity, NADIF has been a real school for me. It has been and continues to be a source of intellectual and professional fulfilment.
Do you have any anecdotes from all these years that you’d like to share with us?
A few months after my arrival, I attended my first NADIF work party. During festivities, I saw agents laughing, having fun and eating together like ordinary colleagues, without distinction of function or ages.I was still a trainee, but I played a head-to-head volleyball match with Mr MACKAYA, who was then Engineering and Applications Manager (EAM). This unit made me want to stay.