Programme Officer, Ecowas Agriculture Information System (ECOAGRIS) at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Programme Officer, Ecowas Agriculture Information System (ECOAGRIS)

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Status: Permanent
Grade: P3/P4
Department: Agriculture, Environment And Natural Ressources
Directorate: Agriculture And Rural Development
Division: Agriculture
Line Supervisor: Director, Administration & Finance

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Principal Programme Officer, Agriculture, the incumbent shall monitor and coordinate the ECOWAS integrated agricultural information system to enable analysis and decision-making

Role and Responsibilities

• Monitor and implement the Regulation on ECOAGRIS and its steering, monitoring and governance bodies
• Monitor and coordinate the National Focal Points and the ECOAGRIS Regional Focal Points,
• Coordinate and ensure the permanent updating of the database of agro-sylvo-pastoral and fishery products and markets,
• Produce analytical reports (dashboard) on agro-sylvo-pastoral and fishery production for the ECOWAS SAP-ECOLINK database,
• Maintain the quality of the data collected in the countries and acquisition of Geo-Data from satellites
• Ensure the IT security of the ECOAGRIS database in permanent consultation with the CILSS / AGRYMETH Center,
• Collaborate with CILSS / AGRYMETH, UEMOA and other Regional and International Institutions Contributing to ECOAGRIS database
• Ensure the availability of data to ECOWAS decision makers and interested Partners,
• Provide data and information to food security early warning systems;
• Formulate and Develop regional projects and actions on Agri-data development to allow Management to mobilize international funds.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Agriculture, Statistic, Engineering, Economy, Agri-economy, Agronomy, or related field, Rural Economy or any other relevant field from a recognized University
• Have at least 8 years of professional experience in the field Agriculture Statistics and Data analysis and management
•  Broad experience as a program/project manager, project manager and programs;
• Demonstrated experiences in the fields of agriculture statistic data collection, analysis and aggregation
• Skills in agricultural policy formulation, project / program formulation, strategic planning or institutional and regulatory framework;

Age Limit:

• Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.

Ecowas Key Competencies:

• Ability to persuade/influence others to consider a certain point of view, adopt a new idea or implement new methods and practices;
• Ability to lead a team of trainees/junior staff and instill a spirit of teamwork to engage employees and achieve a well-defined set of activities;
• Ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
• Ability to resolve challenges that occur with minimal direction and/or to recommend and explain solutions or alternatives for approval;
• Ability to utilize the  Code of Ethics to manage self, others, information and resources;
• Ability to mentor others and create feedback loops with supervisors, colleagues and the subordinates to build strong working relationships and improve performance.
• Contribute to maintaining organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.
• Interpersonal skills with ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to timeline, quality and quantity;
•  Ability to proactively interact with clients and build strong trusting relationships based on mutual respect and regular discussions;
• Ability to establish and sustain professional credibility with clients/stakeholders in a manner that anticipates their need, mitigates issues and that carefully balances professional obligations with the need to be sensitive and responsive to their needs;
• Ability to counsel, advise, consult and guide others on matters pertaining to assigned client service responsibilities and established  client service standards;
• Demonstrate respect for cultural differences, fairness and ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds, nationality, gender, ethnicity, race and religion;
• Understanding of diverse cultural views especially within West Africa, with sensitivity to group differences; ability to challenge bias and to practice tolerance and empathy;
• Ability to listen actively, consider people’s concerns and apply  judgement, tact and diplomacy;
• Ability to work in a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths;
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Ability to encourage, empower, and advocate for people in an unbiased and transparent manner.
• Knowledge of ECOWAS institutions, sectors, programmes and policies;
• Knowledge of ECOWAS internal operational requirements of programs, projects, services and systems required to achieve work assignments and meet performance goals;
• Knowledge of rules and procedures of ECOWAS associated assigned responsibilities and ability to explain these clearly to others;
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS culture, structures and performance issues and priorities impacting assigned responsibilities;
• Knowledge of member states development trends, indicators, challenges and opportunities as it relates to project/programme assigned to own position.
• Ability to study data/information from a variety of sources, identify anomalies, trends and issues, present findings, and make  recommendations;
• Ability to break down problems or processes into key parts to identify and solve gaps in service, quality assurance, compliance and performance targets;
• Knowledge of and ability to apply techniques to generate creative ideas and new approaches to meeting goals;
• Ability to use evidence and research to inform policies and programs and identify relevant and appropriate sources of information, including stakeholders, regional institutions and/or internal committees.
• Demonstrate operational computer proficiency  using appropriate tools;
• Ability to make sound use of graphics and tables to effectively present numerical data to write semi-complex technical reports/proposals and edit/check templates, letters, etc.
• Ability to convey information clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner through both writing and verbal means, ;
• Exhibit interpersonal skills, make presentations, express opinions and debate ideas with others in a constructive manner;
• Proficiency in  information communication technologies(ICT);
• Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages of the Community (English, French & Portuguese). Knowledge of an additional one will be an added advantage.
• Ability to develop,  implement an individual action plan for achieving specific work  goals;
•  Identify, organize and monitor tasks throughout to facilitate execution;
• Ability to contribute and/or lead on projects as per accepted project management standards and techniques, to co-ordinate contributions by others  to set and meet deadlines;
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and work within timelines, giving attention to details, stakeholders, indicators and risks;
• Ability to identify, collect and assess indicators to monitor performance and to take proactive remedial action as required.

Annual Salary
UA49,106.81, USD77480.72 / UA56,591.37, USD89,289.87

Application Closing Date
10th November, 2020.