AFAWA Enabling Environment Officer, AHGC0 at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) Full Time

Job Title: AFAWA Enabling Environment Officer, AHGC0

Position Number: 50093616
Location: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Position Grade: PL4

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for ‘Agriculture, Human, and Social Development’ is a Sector Complex focusing on two of the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy High 5s priorities of “Feed Africa” and “Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa”.
• The complex objectives are (i) to develop, policy and strategy; (ii) provide deep sector expertise to the Regions by gathering pools of experienced individuals who can be consulted to provide sector expertise on complex transactions; (iii) develop new financing instruments; (iv) the Vice President will act as the spokesperson to represent the Bank with external stakeholders on aspects of “Feed Africa” and Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa”.

The Hiring Department

• Within the Complex, the Gender, Women and Civil Society Department is designed to improve coherence and coordination across Complexes on Gender and Civil Society Organization issues.
• The Department ensures strategic priorities are reflected in resources allocation, enhances monitoring and management of performance, and strengthens the focus on results.
• The Department also houses a number of special initiatives including the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA), a flagship program of the Bank that aims to bridge the gender gap in access to finance and unleash women’s entrepreneurial capacity across the continent.
• AFAWA’s holistic approach focuses on 3 pillars: (a) access to finance, leveraging the Bank’s various instruments such as lines of credit, equity investments and risk sharing mechanisms, (b) technical assistance, to financial institutions as well as women entrepreneurs, and (c) the enabling environment to reform the legal and regulatory frameworks affecting women businesses as well as enhance the different enablers for women to grow as entrepreneurs as well as for those in the informal sector transition to the formal sector.

The Position

• The AFAWA Enabling Environment Officer will be based in the African Development Bank’s headquarters, under the supervision of the AFAWA Program Coordinator and the leadership of the Director, Gender Women and Civil Society Department.
• The AFAWA Enabling Environment Officer will work on strengthening the Regional Member Countries’ abilities to increase financial inclusion and women entrepreneurship growth by looking at necessary policy reforms in the areas of financial inclusion and access to finance, land and trade.
• The AFAWA Enabling Environment Officer will also work in collaboration with the Civil Society Division on advocacy to increase awareness on reforms and implementation programs. He/She will have experience in designing, structuring and implementing projects to increase the capacity of Women Entrepreneurship Enablers (women business associations, accelerators, incubators etc.) as well as help women entrepreneurs in Africa transition from the informal to the formal sector.
• The AFAWA Enabling Environment Officer will have extensive experience working with governments on policy reforms and regulations to advance women’s economic inclusion, with designing, implementing and managing policy advisory programs. He/she will have strong research and analysis experience as well understanding and having practical experience on Women’s Entrepreneurship Financing. He/She will also contribute to the AFAWA team’s knowledge management initiatives.

Key Functions
Under the guidance of the AFAWA Coordinator, The AFAWA Enabling Environment Officer will:

On the Regulatory Environment:

• lead activities related to the policy framework and governmental/ regulatory policies in place impacting women SMEs ability to access finance and markets;
• Work with government and private sector stakeholders to ensure optimal design and implementation of the Business Enabling Environment Work Plan;
• Develop a framework for analyzing existing policy, suggest reforms, and regulatory changes and identify necessary areas for capacity improvement;
• Determine priority reforms and develop approaches to reform;
• Provide strategic and technical guidance to governmental agencies including Central Banks, Ministries of Finance in the Bank’s Regional Member Countries as well as Regional Economic Communities in implementing and monitoring reforms;
• Facilitate capacity building events for the government officials, as well as financial sector stakeholders, including facilitating training sessions other financial sector stakeholders.

On Enhancing the Capacity of Enablers:

• Lead activities on mapping different women business enablers, categorizing and identifying direct opportunities for linkages with financial institutions implementing AFAWA programs;
• Work on strategy and implementation plan to enhance the sustainability of Women Business Enablers/Associations in the long run;
• Lead the yearly enablers call for proposals.

On Achieving Formality:

• Spearhead quick assessments within the informal sector in AFAWA implementing countries, and based on results discuss reforms and implementation plan at policy level;
• Lead call for proposals for programs to transition women from the informal to the formal sector;
• Work with SME ministries/government agencies to address challenges refraining women from formalizing their activities.

Competencies (skills, experience and knowledge)

• Master’s Degree in Public Policy, Business, Economics or a related field;
• At least six (6) years of relevant, successful experience in advising and developing policy decisions in public institutions and private institutions especially central banks and ministries of finance;
• Understanding of and experience in handling enabling environment programs related to financial inclusion for women and women entrepreneurs in Africa;
• Professional experience with proven competence in Financial Inclusion roadmap and strategy formulation and implementation is required;
• Extensive experience in planning and implementing technical assistance for policy reform and institutional capacity building in entrepreneurship, access to finance, access to markets and trade;
• Ability to perform successfully as a member of multiple project-related teams;
• Previous experience in project management and implementation and leading teams to successfully deliver on the project;
• Demonstrated experience of successful implementation of donor-funded projects, with experience in donor reporting and donor relationship management;
• Excellent communications and writing ability; Strong computer literacy skills;
• Fluency in both English and French highly desired; knowledge of other languages is an added value;
• Some work experience in the private sector and in a development project environment is desirable;
• Excellent Analytical Skills;
• Strong project management and organizational skills;
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint) required; knowledge of SAP is desirable.

Application Closing Date
12th August, 2021.