Careers in International Development LSE Department of International Development

In celebration of International Women’s Day, MSc International Development candidate Temi Phyllis Pratt talks to Nimi Akinkugbe, Nigeria's Ambassador- Designate to Greece. An Alumni of the LSE, in this podcast they discuss Nimi's foray into public service, her impressive career in the private sector and her desire to see women live financially independent thriving lives.

An advocate for financial security, she is also the founder of Bestman Games Ltd, the African distributor of customised editions of Monopoly, Hasbro’s world-famous game. She believes passionately in empowering women financially; her column Money matters with Nimi is a nationally syndicated column where she shares advice and tips on improving personal finances.

Achieving financial security ranks as a major source of concern for the Nigerian family, and Nimi seeks to harness financial literacy and inclusion as tools for youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and economic development. Her book, A – Z of Personal Finance, provides frank, practical insights to create greater awareness and understanding of personal finance and wealth management issues.

This podcast discusses:
- Her experience as an LSE student
- Her career in banking
- The importance of women being financially secure
- The current opportunity for women to challenge the status quo.

Listen to hear more from Nimi, including on why she feels it is imperative for women to invest in themselves.

We are delighted to have Ms Stephanie Draper the CEO of Bond - the UK's premier membership organisation for the international development sector.

In this podcast and interview conducted by MSc Development Management student, Temi Pratt, Stephanie Draper discusses the current state of international development in the UK, the impact of Covid19 on the sector and gives advice to graduates seeking to enter the sector.

She advises graduates to look at development broadly and anticipate how it might change in the next ten years. Systems thinking, the move to local ownership of the development process, campaigning and advocacy (in light of recent self mobilisation movements) are also discussed.

MSc Development Management candidate, Temi Phyllis Pratt interviews Kate Warren, Executive Vice President at Devex, a media platform for the global development community, about trends in the sector's response to Covid-19 as well as advice for early and mid career professionals.

"Early COVID-19 Funding Response from the sector: a lot of funding has been vertical..following on a specific need... we may see a shift to focus on broader systemic change. So as you are thinking of your career - think about how you can add value and improve systems."

"The Private Sector's engagement in the development sector has seen a pushing for results and impact... data driven decision making , which means new skills are required in the development sector."

"The development sector can be a gig economy which hinges on travel but now we are already seeing a shift where international consultants are providing support to local organisations. This crisis is an opportunity for a radical shift to local ownership in the development sector."