‘However you define it, success has to be worthwhile at the end of the day,’ says Richard Weyers, director of British Council Sudan. ‘If I didn’t believe that the British Council was achieving amazing things and had the potential to achieve even more, I wouldn’t be here.’

Weyers joined the British Council 15 years ago as an information specialist. He had been working in Saudi Arabia at the time in ‘a rather boring job as a library specialist’ when he saw a position at the British Council advertised. He was initially appointed in Ankara, Turkey, in the aftermath of the Balkan War, and this first position proved to be both interesting and challenging.

Weyers is originally from London and his career has taken him all over the world. He has lived in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malawi, Afghanistan, Uganda, Sudan and Manchester (which he considers his most foreign posting).

With a wife and two children, the life of an expatriate has had its challenges. His wife has always travelled with him, but his children are at school in the UK.

‘It has been odd, meeting up in the UK every few months, but it has been the one constant thing in our life – a kind of anchor,’ he says.

‘The British Council has given me an amazing variety of experiences and a very fulfilling lifestyle. It has been challenging in some ways, but I have had an amazing career so far, both personally and professionally,’ he continues.

Having begun his career in Sudan as a volunteer with Save the Children Fund in the late 1980s, Weyers has returned to the country as the Director of British Council Sudan.

‘The current challenge staring me in the face in Sudan is the country’s struggle to adopt the English language. We are helping them with the development process. English is not just a language – it is a means of engaging with the rest of the world, encouraging economic development,’ he says.

Other challenges facing Weyers stem from the fact that the British Council is often seen as a donor organisation in Africa.

‘I’ve done as much as I can to try and shift the relationship to one of mutuality and equality,’ he says. ‘It’s a difficult perception to break but the council needs to be seen not as a donor organisation but as one that builds relationships. I enjoy my work most when I see an equal transaction. The work we do is valuable, but the UK also gets a lot out of the relationships we forge.’

Weyers finds working with country-appointed colleagues inspiring. ‘I get the biggest kick out of having something to do with staff development, watching people flourish. They come in with certain skills and grow those skills into something amazing. I find that enormously exhilarating,’ he says.

Chris Brown, acting regional director and director of programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa, is full of praise for Weyers, saying, ‘Richard’s really strong commitment to Africa is reflected in every aspect of his work – from the empowered and effective team he developed and led in Uganda until late last year to the innovations and ideas he is inspiring in the team in Sudan today. On a personal level, I value the knowledge and experience he brings to the Regional Steering Group – everyone there waits for Richard’s views on the issues because we know they will be sensible and well thought through.’

In the future, Weyers would like to work on a bigger British Council operation, one with more complexity than a regional post. ‘I like being at the sharp end of things, adding to local relationships,’ he says.

‘We are entering a period internationally where it is vital for people to get on with one another. The British Council’s work in terms of a world purpose is more important than ever before. I view success in terms of my contribution to a greater world. I enjoy being at the sharp end of what we need to deliver, and I would like to do it on a larger and larger scale.’

To find out more about the British Council events in Uganda, click here. Read our latest news here: News in Africa section.