Established in 1964, the African Development Bank is the
premier pan-African development institution. Its mission is to promote economic
growth and social progress across the continent. The Bank has 80 member
countries, including 54 African countries (regional member countries - RMC).
The Bank’s development agenda is delivering the financial and technical support
for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through
inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
In order to sharply focus the objectives of the Ten-Year Strategy (2013
– 2022) and ensure greater developmental impact, five major areas (High 5s),
all of which will accelerate our delivery for Africa, have been identified for
scaling up, namely; energy, agro-business, industrialization, integration and
improving the quality of life for the people of Africa. The Bank is seeking to build a management
team that will lead the successful implementation of this vision.
COMPLEX:
The Vice-Presidency for Regional Development, Integration
and Business Delivery is responsible for operational relevancy, efficiency and
effectiveness of the Bank Group's operational programs, and activities. The RDVP will ensure that the Bank operates
successfully across its Regional Member Countries and will oversee the full
implementation of all aspects of the Bank's Regional Directorates. Five Regional Development, Integration and
Business Delivery Hubs have been created: Southern Africa, North Africa, West
Africa; East Africa, and Central Africa. Each of these hubs is placed under the
responsibility of a Director General.
THE HIRING
DEPARTMENT/DIVISION:
The Regional Directorate General - Central (RDGC) plays a
central role in the Bank’s operational mechanism to reduce poverty and promote
sustainable development in Regional Member Countries. It provides overall
strategic direction to country offices within the regions by putting the
emphasis on the Bank’s five flagship operational priorities, the High 5s:
‘Light Up and Power Africa’, ‘Feed Africa,’ ‘Industrialize Africa,’ ‘Integrate
Africa,’ and ‘Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.’ The Agriculture, Water, Human and Social
Development Division (RDGC.2) covers in particular the last four High 5s which
target: food and nutritional safety through the transformation of agriculture
by developing the agro-industry; improving access to education, health,
drinking water, sanitation; youth employment and promoting gender equality and
social protection.
Position title: Senior Agriculture and Rural Development
Officer
Grade: LP5
Position N°: 50067582
Reference: ADB/17/483
Publication date: 27/11/2017
Closing date: 11/12/2017
Country: Democratic Republic of Congo
THE POSITION:
The Senior Agriculture and Rural Development Officer, who
will be based in the Bank's Country Office in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), will contribute to the agenda for transforming agriculture in Africa.
He/she will provide specific support to the Bank Group's operational activities
in the DRC, in the areas of agriculture, rural development and the environment.
As a member of RDGC, he/she will also be responsible for initiating dialogue
with the public authorities of the regional member countries, specifically with
those of the DRC, particularly with regard to the policies and activities of
the African Development Bank to support national and sector policies and
reforms in the field of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment.
Duties and responsibilities
Under the supervision and direction of the acting Division
Manager, RDGC.2, and liaising with the Country Manager, the Senior Agriculture
and Rural Development Officer will perform the following functions:
A) Project Cycle Activities
Conduct operational activities for the preparation of
agricultural and rural infrastructure development projects to support the
agricultural policy in DRC and the region including reviewing notes, preparing
of projects for Bank financing and defending projects/programmes before the
Bank Board.
Recruit consultants and/or organise and undertake field
missions for the preparation, appraisal, supervision and control of
Bank-financed projects and sector studies.
Provide on a continuous basis, technical assistance and
strategic advice to project management staff and professionals in Bank member
countries for the proper implementation of the Bank's operational procedures
for project administration.
Organise regular meetings with project teams to ensure close
monitoring of activities and resolve any operational difficulties.
Monitor the effective completion of all project phases,
including procurement management, monitoring disbursements, conducting regular
audits, monitoring progress reports, etc., while ensuring compliance with the
Bank’s rules and procedures.
Coordinate with the Bank's financial department and national
partners, the processing of disbursement requests, management of audit missions
and monitoring of project financial implementation.
Provide technical opinions to the Disbursement Division of
the Bank on the eligibility of project expenditures.
Review procurement files from regional member countries to
ensure that they comply with the Bank Group’s procurement procedures and make
proposals for actions to be taken by the Bank and the executing agencies.
Review feasibility studies and progress reports on projects
and make proposals for action by the Bank and executing agencies.
Organise regular dialogue meetings with members of project
implementation units and other development partners especially in the areas of
Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment.
Monitor the timely preparation and implementation of
financing agreements related to Bank operations.
Facilitate, lead, as needed, agricultural sector reviews,
the preparation of agriculture and rural development projects, mid-term reviews
and various missions (identification, preparation, evaluation, completion,
etc.).
Participate in Bank portfolio reviews in the country, and
provide all relevant information for assigned projects.
Prepare Project Completion Reports (PCRs) in accordance with
the Bank's Operations Manual.
B) Knowledge Management
Identify and call upon, at strategic moments, key experts
(individuals and institutions) in Africa to support beneficiaries in the design
and implementation of projects, particularly in the field of Rural Development,
the Agro-industry and the Environment.
Contribute to the search for funding and partnerships, in
order to ensure the development of knowledge and the initiation of thematic
studies in the position’s sector areas.
Contribute to fostering the creation of an environment
conducive to knowledge management, including (i) providing practical assistance
to implement projects to achieve the overall objectives, (ii) involving experts
and resources in Africa, (iii) identifying innovative approaches, results and
lessons learned from past experiences, (iv) ensuring rapid information sharing
with national partners, (v) encouraging and supporting dissemination of results
at level required for possible reproduction, (vi) ensuring the recruitment of
consultants to undertake various knowledge management activities, etc.
Provide technical expertise during Country Strategy Paper
(CSP) preparation and review missions in the agriculture, agribusiness and
environmental sectors.
Contribute to the dissemination of information and ensure
that lessons and recommendations are documented and quickly shared.
C) Partnerships and dialogue
Represent the Bank at various meetings organised in the
Country (DRC), related to the fields of Agriculture, Rural Development and
Environment.
Coordinate with national, regional and international
partners.
Represent the Bank in donor meetings, regional and
international meetings, conferences, seminars and workshops on issues of
agricultural development and natural resource management.
Establish good communication between the different stakeholders.
Within the Country and according to the needs, complete
various dialogue and representation tasks assigned by the Country Manager.
Selection Criteria
Including desirable
skills, knowledge and experience
- Hold at least a Master’s degree or equivalent degree in agronomy, rural engineering, natural resource management, or related fields.
- Have at least five (5) years of experience in the field of rural infrastructure and development of agricultural value chains, formulation and monitoring-evaluation of agricultural policies, or in related fields.
- Possess solid experience and proven track record in the design and execution of operations (including investment projects and operations focusing on agriculture and rural development) as well as in project management.
- Possess knowledge of the operational policies and programming practices of a multilateral organisation.
- Have a sound understanding of rural development, agribusiness, climate change and natural resource management issues in developing countries and a proven track record of the policies, procedures and operational practices of major bilateral or multilateral aid agencies in Africa, especially in Central Africa and the DRC, and be able to work effectively in all sectors.
- Exercise a true spirit of initiative, be results-oriented, and demonstrate leadership qualities.
- Possess the ability to implement innovative approaches, work autonomously and apply new methods to solving problems, while remaining effective in a dynamic, evolving and demanding institutional environment.
- Demonstrate sound critical thinking
- Possess the ability to anticipate needs and requests, and to conduct political discussions with government officials, and support strategic thinking on agricultural and rural development, agribusiness, natural resource management, the environment and climate change.
- Possess the ability to work harmoniously in a multicultural environment and to collaborate within teams and with other services.
- Possess excellent oral and written communication skills in French, with a good working knowledge of English.
- Possess sound knowledge of standard applications of the Microsoft Office Suite.
THIS POSITION DOES
NOT ATTRACT INTERNATIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
(THE POSITION HOLDER WILL BE CONSIDERED AS LOCAL STAFF AND WILL NOT HAVE
INTERNATIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT)
Should you encounter technical difficulties in submitting
your application, please send an email with a precise description of the issue
and/or a screenshot showing the problem to: HRDirect HRDirect@afdb.org
How To Apply
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