Technical Advisor on Agri-Trade Promotion at GIZ Nigeria

chGIZ EAT - a vibrant new project for the ECOWAS region

The BMZ funded regional project ECOWAS Agricultural Trade (EAT) is implemented by GIZ and officially started in January 2022 with a funding of 10 Mio. EUR for 5 years. The project management unit is based in Abuja. Major activities will start from January 2023. The project focuses on five countries, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and three others to be determined with the partner.

The objective of EAT is to improve institutional and technical requirements for intra-regional agricultural trade in the ECOWAS region and selected countries. The main partner is the ECOWAS commission (Directorates for agriculture, trade and customs), regional organizations and national line ministries or trade associations.

EAT works on 3 components:

1.    Strengthen the role of the ECOWAS Commission in coordinating sustainable gender-sensitive agricultural trade instruments with ECOWAS Member States
2.    Support sustainable gender-sensitive agricultural trade facilitation measures and services for traders at border posts and along agricultural trade value chains.

3.    Improve regional agri-trade promotion services and business performance of the traders.

The target group of the project comprises trade companies, organizations, and actors in agri-food sector trade in the ECOWAS region. The supported agricultural commodities are raw, semi-finished and finished products that are traded form farm gate, factory, or warehouse to consumer markets.

A.        Profile
You are supporting the Senior Technical Advisor and the Project Leader of the ECOWAS Agricultural Trade (EAT) project with operational tasks for the implementation of component 3 (esp. on agri-trade promotion and market) and related subject matters such as agricultural value chains, agri-business and private public partnerships. This includes support for conceptualization, planning and implementing of major project activities within the component. The position involves key responsibilities in screening and analyzing markets, businesses agri-trade promotion strategies, programs at the ECOWAS and member states levels as well as cooperating with regional business chambers, trade promotion agencies, associations of trade actors etc. You give technical and institutional support and back-stop activities of implementing partners within the component 3. Main activities are the support and follow up of trade promotion and market access measures for the private sector, contribution to M&E and knowledge management, provision of project data and report writing/ documentation. A special focus is on women in cross border trade and measures to support small scale trade and leadership of women. Good communication skills for assuring a good cooperation with implementing partners, stakeholders and private sector actors as well as target groups on various levels is one of your strengths. You are taking over responsibility proactivity within your scope of work and have a results-oriented and structured way preforming according to agreements and plans. You contribute essentially to outputs 3 of the project and are motivated to travel in the ECOWAS region (different levels of value chain) and work in close contact with partners and stakeholders.

As a Technical Advisor, you will have the following responsibilities and tasks:

1.      Project implementation and backstopping

• Gives support the Senior Technical Advisor on the implementation of component 3 and private sector cooperation in the ECOWAS region
• Contributes to planning, organization and implementation of activities and events in component 3
• Supports the drafting of TOR, the initiation of service or financial contracts with partners or consultancies and accompanies partners and service providers during the contract period
• Backstops, follows-up and adapts activities and assures the achievement of results in both outputs

2.      Technical advice and inputs

•  Sources and processes data from implementing partners and consultants in collaboration with the Monitoring and Communication Expert; extract findings, results and recommendations of studies; extract key messages for policy advice
•  Gives updates on agricultural trade promotion news and information in the ECOWAS region (markets, commodities, businesses, private sector innovations in agri trade, support programs and services provided by associations and chambers etc, events and agri-business news)
•  Scopes for innovation and new solutions in trade promotion, access to markets, market and price information that the project can support or use
•  Prepares and organizes technical activities carried out by EAT and assures the quality of activities done by implementing partners with the backing of the Senior Technical Advisor

3.      Communication and facilitation

• Screens the private sector landscape in agi trade and agri business and makes contact to potential partners; manages and documents contacts partner networks
• Contributes to fluent communication and reporting of important information and knowledge with partners and within the technical team
• Informs the project team on best practises and obstacles during implementation
• Facilitates and moderate during technical meetings
• Supports the Project Leader and the Monitoring and Communication Expert on knowledge management and learning through evaluation of activities carried out, identification of lessons learned and best practices.

C.        Required qualifications, Competences and Experience

Qualifications

University BSc degree in agronomy, economics, business management, marketing or other related field of study

Professional Experience

• At least 3 years’ experience working in the areas of trade promotion (public-private partnership projects, training concepts, services for traders, esp. women, work with associations and chambers), agri-business and agricultural value chains in West Africa.
• At least 2 years of professional experience in the private sector rated to trade or agri-business, experience in cooperation and communication with public and private partners institutions
• Previous work with regional and national business chambers such as FEWACCI and associations such as WACTAF or NANTS is an advantage
• Know the political environment, cultural and socio-economic context in at least 1 other West African country esp. related to agri trade promotion and agri-business/ trade
• A deep understanding of the regional context in trade promotion for agricultural value chains  

Other skills and competences

• Ability to implement activities in a dynamic business environment by understanding the different abilities and capacities of partners and actors.
• Capability to analyze and summarize specific trade related aspects, find pragmatic solutions for specific contexts related to challenges in agricultural trade facilitation
• Identify policy network in the region that are capable to contribute to the objective of the project
• Spoken and written language skills in English (level C2); French would be an advantage.
• Proficient use of MS Office and MS TeamsAbility to implement activities in a dynamic business environment by understanding the different abilities and capacities of partners and actors.
• Capability to analyze and summarize specific trade related aspects, find pragmatic solutions for specific contexts related to challenges in agricultural trade facilitation
• Identify policy network in the region that are capable to contribute to the objective of the project
• Spoken and written language skills in English (level C2); French would be an advantage.
• Proficient use of MS Office and MS Teams