Stacey Susa-Pinto is a best-selling author and sought-after international trade professional. She has spent almost a decade working in various trade-related capacities with a major focus on inter-governmental economic diplomacy, trade programming as well as market access and trade facilitation issues. Having transitioned from private to public sector, Stacey has helped shift perceptions regarding the effectiveness of the public sector as she currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Trade Forum – an agency of the Namibian Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade. The Namibia Trade Forum is responsible for institutionalising public-private dialogue on matters related to trade and investment for purposes of inputting into trade policy.
Stacey’s key functions as CEO of the Namibia Trade Forum are to drive and deliver on the organisation’s strategic plans while leveraging her regional and international networks to increase the funding, impact, and visibility of the organisation. The Namibia Trade Forum has launched and pioneered one of the biggest campaigns in Namibia – the Buy Local, Grow Namibia campaign which aims to encourage retailers to create shelf space for locally produced/manufactured goods. This brought on board other partners such as the UN in Namibia and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). She also serves on the Ministerial Namibia Brand Building Committee.
Stacey is also the Acting Chief Executive Officer and interim Chairperson of the GS1 Namibia Board of Directors. GS1 is a not-for-profit organisation that develops and maintains global standards for business communication – the best known of these standards is the barcode, a symbol printed on products that can be scanned electronically. Namibia has recently become a GS1 member and in this role, Stacey is responsible for the initial set up of strategy, systems and processes that will ensure the smooth running of the organisation and the delivery of its mandate to increase market access for locally produced goods.
Prior to the Namibia Trade Forum and GS1 Namibia, she worked for the United Kingdom Government in Namibia as Global Trade Programme Advisor and was responsible for managing Namibia and eSwatini’s trade programming to ensure that these countries could continue trading with the United Kingdom after Brexit. She was also selected and invited by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office to partake in the first of its kind training in London to help roll out trade-related training to all United Kingdom posts across Africa.
Her experience and networks across the Southern African region saw her play a pivotal role in the transition trade talks between the United Kingdom and Southern Africa as well as enhance UK trade perceptions in the region. Her experience and advice also enhanced the relationship between the UK and the SACU and Mozambique partners and helped bring the transition talks to a conclusion coupled with the launch of a trade capacity-building programme for which she became an advisor. She currently still is contracted by DAI and serves as the national lead consultant for the programme. Prior to her role with the UK government, Stacey worked as a law lecturer at the University of Namibia teaching modules such as administrative law, criminal law, and Namibian customary law.
She is also a businesswoman with a growing wellness brand, and is a great communicator and influence for young career and businesswomen, and speaks often on various platforms encouraging young women to find their purpose and calling. She is dedicated to delivering excellence and pushing boundaries so those after her do not have to start from scratch. She is an alumnus of Ted Talks with a viewership of over 10,000 on her TED Talk titled “Your Gift Can Set You Apart”.
Stacey is noted for her dedication and commitment to working with SMEs and helping them access local and regional markets. She has the ability to explain complex trade-related terms and unpack various trade agreements highlighting an array of entry points and opportunities for businesses. She was also recognized by the United Nations in Namibia as an influential woman that has impacted her community.
She collaborated with other inspiring women on the book, 20 Beautiful Women: Africa Edition, which reached best-seller status on Amazon in less than 24 hours. She has three law degrees including a Bachelor in Jurisprudence, a Bachelor of Laws, and a Master of International Trade Law from North-West University in South Africa. She also received certification from UNCTAD on trade facilitation and is a Cape Town University certified language editor.
In this interview, Stacey Susa-Pinto covers international trade and opportunities on the African continent.
You are a woman who has hands in several ventures from international trade to writing to mentorship to business to public speaking. How do you combine these roles effectively?
I think the most important thing I have done is get help where I need it. From family, business, and my work – it’s important to find the right resource to support me because there is hardly any time to micromanage anything as there is so much I have to see to. So I learned that I had to quickly identify where I need the help and worked hard to ensure I got the right help. After that, it’s also about ensuring I am doing well mentally and physically so I can keep up with the demands of managing all these roles. Lastly, setting priorities and boundaries and remaining connected to God has also helped me navigate all these areas of my life.
Given your extensive resume, what would you say has been the greatest challenge you have encountered and how did you overcome it?
My greatest challenge was learning how to manage myself before I could ever manage anyone. Self-awareness has been a very powerful tool for me and once I learned how to use it to manage myself, everything else almost fell into place. Self-awareness was a game-changer for me because it reintroduced me to who I really am and taught me how to be aware of what I do well and that which I don’t do well and importantly self-regulate in order to deliver and deliver well.
You are at the forefront of Namibia’s international trade industry. What are the expectations and prospects of the industry in the next five years? What can be improved upon to achieve set goals?
The world’s eyes are on AFRICA and we Africans need to be very acutely aware of this! There will come a time, soon, where the world will, to a very great extent, look to Africa for solutions. What does that mean for us? We need to prepare and get our house in order so we are speaking with one voice – let’s learn the skills, learn our policy, make the right connections and be clear about where we want to get to as a continent. Africa, with the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), is going to see more value additions and product formation happening here on the continent as opposed to exporting raw materials for re-import. Innovative and sustainable renewable energy solutions, cosmetics, services/digital economy as well as the creatives are some of the ones to watch in the next five years. We have to work at creating an Africa where it is okay and possible for women in East/West Africa to export their shea butter for example, to Southern Africa and those in Southern Africa to easily export their oils or products thereof to other markets as well; or better still for these women to create regional value chains and export to the world.
How has the global covid-19 pandemic affected Namibia’s international trade?
In terms of trade, covid for a lot of countries has taken us back to an ‘almost protectionist’ approach towards our trading partners. This is so because, in order to help safeguard people against the spread of covid-19, most countries had to close up, and that included borders. For Namibia, we import a great amount of what we consume and so the reduced traffic at the borders led to some shortages for consumables. Unpleasant as this has been, it also allowed our local industry and producers to rise to the challenge of producing more to help ensure food security in the country. Prior to the onslaught of covid-19, Namibia had experienced quite a long spell of drought and that of course dramatically affected our beef exports due to cattle dying. So the past couple of years have been tumultuous for Namibia but I am of the view that Namibia is coming back up and really pushing the envelope on creative solutions to help build back our economy.
Please share three tips readers can use to successfully engage in international trade opportunities?
- Develop a genuine interest in trade and understand the potential it has to change lives and reduce poverty
- Read as much as you can regarding trade, global trends, economies, 4IR, key economic drivers, etc.
- Travel the continent/world if you can; if not take advantage of the plethora of virtual meetings showcasing various countries and what they have to offer. Work on growing your networks in different sectors.
Tell us about your best-selling book 20 Beautiful Women: Africa Edition, the inspiration to write the book, the target audience, and its purpose?
I have always been of the view that part of my purpose is to share my stories and amplify the message that it is possible to live a life of purpose. In a lot of ways, my life is a model of what is possible and so when the opportunity to write came up, it was very natural for me to go for it because I was eager to share my story.
The book is co-authored by 20 women across the world – telling their stories of resilience and hope. It shares 20 beautiful yet personal journeys that are so relatable and empowering. The chapter I author talks about using one’s God-given gifts for a change. I share the journey of discovering my own gifts and purpose. This was a pivotal moment in my life – so much so that even if occasionally filled with doubt sometimes, I always go back to this lesson and take strength to push ahead.
You mentor young women to succeed in corporate careers; what are their limiting beliefs, and in what ways are you helping them navigate these rugged terrains successfully?
A lot of the women I mentor ask this question quite a lot and sometimes it is couched in what we call ‘imposter syndrome. I have learned through my experience and that of others, that limiting beliefs almost creep in as we go through life especially during those moments that take a jab at our confidence and self-esteem. We, without realising and over time, become conditioned to take such attempts as the truth of who we are forgetting that we were powerful even before those incidents. And so what has helped me is to try and separate the things that happen to me from who I am and be so intentional about separating the two because once I contaminate who I am based on what I go through then it’s over. So this is what I try to instill in a lot of women to 1) Be very self-aware (2) Protect who you are from what’s happening to you – that way the limiting beliefs don’t become part of who you are.
You were recognised by the United Nations in Namibia as an influential woman that has impacted her community which is applaudable. How would you define success on your own terms?
Success is living in your purpose/calling and using this power to help change lives.
What do you take pride in?
I take pride in my continent Africa and what we can be! I take pride in seeing us trying to pull together and do the right thing. I take pride in how hopeful and resilient we are as a people no matter what we have been through and lastly, I take such pride in my God that creates and makes all things possible.