Director, African Development Institute (ECAD) at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

African Development Bank Group (AfDB) - Established in 1964, the African Development Bank is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. There are 80 member states, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries). 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.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Director, African Development Institute (ECAD)

Position Number: 50092398
Location: Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Position Grade: EL5

The Bank

• Established in 1964, the African Development Bank is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent.
• There are 81 member states, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries). 
• The Bank’s development agenda is delivering 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 (2023 – 2032) and ensure greater developmental impact, five major areas, 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 Complex

• The core mandate of the Vice Presidency (ECVP) is to lead the Bank Group on prioritizing the generation, analysis, dissemination, brokering and implementation of relevant knowledge solutions in all High-5 operational priorities and the cross-cutting themes of its Ten-Year Strategy.
• Such solutions must be a clear response to priority development challenges facing regional member countries (RMCs), individually or collectively and need to involve RMCs in both the planning and implementation of the solutions.
• The key focus areas include:
  • Research on major development issues facing Africa and their relation to global economic governance and other major global public goods;
  • Country diagnostics and future perspectives;
  • Policy dialogue and advisory services;
  • Economic, sector, and thematic knowledge work;
  • Improving national and sub-regional statistical systems;
  • Preparation, design and support to the implementation of public financial management and Governance operations;
  • Capacity development for policy formulation and implementation;
  • Technical assistance and advice related to RMCs’ management of natural resources; and
  • Knowledge dissemination and development of national, regional, and inter regional knowledge networks.

Department / Division

• The African Development Institute coordinates and oversees Capacity Development in the Bank Group and the Bank’s capacity development interventions (training, technical assistance and policy dialogue) in the Regional Member Countries (RMCs) for enhanced development effectiveness in the RMCs.
• The Departments leads the Bank’s implementation of several flagship initiatives including the Public Finance Management Academy (PFMA), Executive Training on Macro-economic Policy Management in Africa (MEMA), the Bank’s Global Community of Practice (G-CoP) Dialogue; the Kofi A. Annan Eminent Speakers Lecture Series (ESLS); the Public Service delivery Index for Africa (PSDI) among others.
• The Department comprises of three Divisions – (i) Program Management Division (ECAD.1); Policy Management Division (ECAD.2); and (iii) Knowledge Management and Information services Division (ECAD.3), each lead by a manager who reports to the Director.

The Position

• The Director of the African Development Institute will be responsible for shaping, coordinating, and overseeing the Bank’s agenda and delivery of Capacity Development to its clients.
• He/she will design and implement the Bank’s Capacity Development Strategies and policies for accelerated development effectiveness of the Bank’s Operations in the RMCs by enhancing institutional capabilities of its clients.

Key Functions

• Under the supervision and guidance of the Chief Economist/Vice-President for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management, the Director will: 

Strategy for Capacity Development:

• Update and implement Bank’s framework for capacity development, including its objectives, scope, prioritization, partnership with other development stakeholders, delivery, monitoring and valuations.
• Update and implement Bank’s strategy on technical assistance and training, with clearer focus on results and improved outcomes in regional member countries, with the goal of strengthening local institutions and boosting skills of officials involved in strategic areas.
• Design, implement and monitor an action plan to help regional member countries strengthen policies and institutional frameworks to diversify their economies, boost economic growth, and create decent employment.

Work program Validation and Execution:

• Review and validate the objectives and work program for the department, ensuring alignment to the Bank, Complex and department strategic priorities.
• Review and validate the budget, and its effective implementation.
• Report on the work program execution and propose alternative and corrective measures as needed.
• Actively contribute to the designing and monitoring of the department key performance indicators.

Technical Oversight on the Department Activities:

• Work closely with the Bank’s Regional and Sector Departments; including Statistics and Development Research Departments to identify and assess priority Capacity Development challenges and needs of the regional member countries.
• Manage the Bank’s resources dedicated to Capacity Development for increased operational and institutional efficiency in delivery of development goals, in addition to providing oversight of the implementation of the Institute’s administrative budget.
• Provide the Bank and its clients with Capacity Development advisory services; and guidance and quality assurance tools to ensure operational effectiveness and contribute to improved sustainability of development results in the regional member countries.
• Play a leadership role in designing, delivering, and overseeing high quality High Fives-related Capacity Development programmes, including training materials and audio-visual support, to contribute to strengthen regional member countries’ ownership of development results.
• Work in collaboration with the Resource Mobilization and partnership unit to identity bilateral sources of funds for training.
• Oversee the preparation of annual reports on the Bank’s achievement in Capacity Development.
• Serve as Acting for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management Complex Vice President when required.
• Perform other duties assigned by the Vice President.

Knowledge Dissemination

• Contribute to Capacity Development knowledge and best practice within the development community, through overseeing the conduct of Capacity Development assessments and results evaluations.
• Coordinate the implementation of the Eminent Speakers program by identifying and attracting distinguished speakers.
• Assist the Macroeconomics Policy, Forecasting and Research department in the planning and holding of the annual African Economic Conference.
• Provide leadership in developing Capacity Development assessment and evaluation tools, including e-learning ones, for use in Bank operations.
• Oversee knowledge dissemination to staff and Bank clients using the Bank’s virtual platforms, in particular the Knowledge and Virtual Resources Center.

People and Talent Management

• Ensure the department has the appropriate skills-mix at any time for effective delivery of the objectives defined in the work program.
• Review and validate the staffing needs and build with the Human Resources department the required recruitment plans.
• Assess work performance, appraise staff potential, and determine training needs.
• Put in place, with the assistance of the Human Resources department, talent management mechanisms, to build a talent pool for the department for business continuity.
• Organize effective delegation of responsibilities by empowering staff at all levels.

Competencies (skills, experience and knowledge):

• Hold at least a Ph.D. Degree in Economics, Public Policy, Governance, or International Development, with top level experience in addressing development challenges in African countries, preferably gained in diverse bilateral, multilateral and / or regional development agencies.
• Have a minimum of ten (10) years of relevant work experience in Capacity Development, of which at least five (5) years will be at managerial level.
• Solid knowledge and good grasp of Capacity Development needs in African countries.
• Proven ability to provide leadership in designing training programs, developing training materials and managing a Capacity Development or training institution.
• Strong knowledge of African economic and development issues; strategic mind-set, and strong capacity to analyze situations from the perspective of stakeholders and translate strategic thinking into implementation.
• Ability to build and manage strategic partnerships with a results-oriented mind-set.
• Strong ability to translate development challenges into knowledge leverage opportunities with a solid knowledge of andragogy.
• Strong analytical and negotiation skills, coupled to superior monitoring and evaluation abilities.
• Strong ability in conceptualizing new approaches and innovation in Capacity Development, as well as developing user friendly training materials.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office Suite applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP is highly desirable.

Application Closing Date
6th August, 2023.