Keeping Malawi weatherwise!

Officer-in-charge of Climate Change and Meteorology Services office at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) Lucy N’gombe Mtilatila on her fear of failure, giving work assignments her all, the secrets to her success and how she handles being an essential link in the chain that provides weather information, advisories and warnings to the aviation industry for the safety of air navigation.

Where does the story of your life begin?

I was born on 24 January, 1976 in Blantyre at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. My mum comes from Muonekera Village TA Mlauli in Neno and my father is from Sutche village TA Mtema in Lilongwe. I am the firstborn in a family of six; three boys and three girls. My parents are a big part of my success.

My father works as an engineer with Malawi Telecommunications Limited and my mother is a primary school teacher. My parents taught me to study, work hard and pursue my dreams and they supported me all the way. My mum helped me with my schoolwork and dad has always motivated me to keep going. I remember when my husband George and I went to study for a Master’s degree in Australia, my parents looked after our two children Crispin (now seven) and Cristobel (now five). I appreciate them and I am thankful to God for them every day. I was very ambitious as a child and I wanted to become a doctor so I could help others. I was, however, selected to Polytechnic to study environmental science and technology, so my dream was never realised.

You work as the officer-in-charge of Climate Change and Meteorological Services. What did it take to get thus far?

It took a lot of hard work and a passion for my job. I put my all into all work-related assignments. Through my hard work, I earned the opportunity to study meteorology at Nairobi University in Kenya in 2001 where I graduated with a postgraduate diploma in Meteorology. Upon my return, I worked as a weather forecaster and was later promoted to the post of senior meteorologist responsible for public weather services and public information. I dealt with the media presenting the weather forecast on television several times. I was later promoted to my current position.

What does your current position at KIA entail?

My day starts with a short meeting with my teammates in the morning to do a recap of the previous day’s activities and strategise for the day. My responsibilities involve planning, organising and monitoring. Then I get into the operational part of my work, which involves supervising my teammates to make sure that standards and practices of World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) are being adhered to. It is our mandate to provide weather information, advisories and warnings to the aviation industry for the safety of air navigation.

This seems to be a challenging post…

You are right; any slight error, for example in pressure reading, may cause loss of life. So, we are pressed to provide effective, reliable and efficient forecasts and warnings.

This is not a one-person show; it involves several people on a particular shift to do weather observations, transmit information and to prepare forecasts and warnings. This is teamwork, we work like a chain. As in-charge, the challenge is to make sure that the chain remains intact for efficient delivery of results. This is not easy when you are dealing with so many people with different perceptions, ideas and aspirations. However, I have learnt to be humble and take other people’s ideas aboard.

How has assuming this position helped you grow?

It has changed the way I look at or think of others. I have learnt to respect teammates (this is why I call juniors, teammates), because each one of us has a role to play to achieve effective aviation services.

What are your secrets to staying at the top of your game?

God is first in everything I do; I always seek His guidance. I know my objectives; therefore I am always searching for ways of improving services in the department. I am a person who wants to deliver. I wouldn’t want to be a failure, so I work hard. I always plan my tasks with deadlines. It is also important to avoid office gossips. I also seek advice if need be because being a leader does not mean you know everything.

Underneath this glossy exterior, I am sure you have weaknesses. What are these?

I am naturally stubborn and sometimes I choose not to heed people’s advice, which has led to unpleasant consequences more than once. Despite this, I have also learnt that not all advice is good for me and that sometimes it is necessary to stick to what I believe in. I remember, during my secondary school education, I did not like history, which was a compulsory subject. School officials tried to force me to study the subject, but I refused because I knew it was a waste of time. Dropping the subject helped me concentrate on others and in the end, I did well. I also recall that at college, at one point, I was the only student majoring in physical science despite being discouraged by academic staff and friends. Today, I do not regret majoring in that particular subject.

A lot of times, women are not confident enough to advance in their endeavours. What do you think holds them back?

The major challenge that I see is balancing marriage and career life. It is not easy to be a mother, wife and have career. It is difficult to prioritise and women tend to choose family over career. I always feel that I don’t have enough time to accommodate my husband George and our children the way I would like it to be. However, I try to mend during the weekend by dedicating most of my time to them.

What role has your family played in your career?

They have always supported me. My husband and I work together. I can always count on him. Without his support, I would not achieve most of the things I have now. He is my advisor in everything and I enjoy every second of life because of him. George is a civil servant just like me and he works in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Success is often yielded by inspiration. Who are you inspired by?

At international level, I admire Secretary General of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres and in Malawi; Dr. Mary Shawa  Principal Secretary in the Department of HIV and AIDS and Nutrition and Dr. Yanira Mtupanyama who is the Director of Environmental Affairs Department.

What is it that you do when you get some “alone time’?

I like listening to gospel music and watching TV.

What memories do you have of growing up?

I remember when I was young, my mother often took my siblings and I to visit our grandmother at Utale in Balaka. We loved swimming in Rivirivi River, we ate a lot of sugarcane and various fruits, oh kale likati lidzibwerera (if only I could relive the past). I also remember a year that I spent at Utale Primary school. The school was very far, and we used to take roast maize as a packed meal. We would hide it in the bushes somewhere on the way to school and then eat it on our way back home. It was an exciting, unforgettable experience. I also have dark memories of my earlier days. One day, as my dad escorted me to Wenela Bus Depot to catch a bus to secondary school (St. Micheal’s Girls Secondary School in Mangochi), we were robbed by men wielding panga knives. They made off with my bag. Since then, when I meet a person for the first time, I always have suspicions. A person has to go an extra mile to gain trust from me.

Any future dreams, ambitions yet to be achieved?

As one of the department’s challenges is to deliver reliable, effective and efficient weather and climate services to various sectors, I would like one day to come up with a model that will have all the three components. This will fulfil the department’s mandate, thereby improving the social economic development of the country. I would also like to study further to PhD level. My ultimate goal is to leave a mark in the department. Technology is changing, so it is time we improved methods we use. I enjoy weather modelling, as such, I am always busy testing various models to get solutions and improve services to various sectors.

 

Tracing Lucy’s path into meteorology (Tabulated)

Holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Technology (University of Malawi, The Polytechnic) 2000.

In 2001, she went to Kenya to study postgraduate diploma in meteorology at Nairobi University.

Holds a Master’s degree of Science in Meteorology from Monash University in Australia obtained in 2008.

In 2008, was promoted to principal meteorologist and was posted to Kamuzu International Airport as officer-in-charge.