Advisor - Communication and Digital Governance at Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

The Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (German Agency for International Cooperation) is an international enterprise owned by the German Federal government, operating in many fields across more than 130 countries.

In Nigeria, GIZ's portfolio includes among others, a programme to support the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in its regional integration goals. The programme aims to strengthen sector-specific capacities in the areas of Peace and Security, Customs and Trade as weir as Strategic Management and Organizational Development in the ECOWAS Commission.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Advisor - Communication and Digital Governance

Vacancy No: 061
Location: Abuja

Job Summary

• A key component is promoting strategic communication to counter misinformation and disinformation, enhancing public trust and the legitimacy of ECOWAS institutions.
• This includes capacity-building for staff, modernizing communication structures, and integrating digital tools, such as social media analysis, into institutional workflows.
• The project, following a Team Europe Approach, is co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the European Union (EU), and Spanish Cooperation (AECID).
• It is implemented by GIZ and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, spanning January 2024 to December 2026 with a financial volume of EUR 14.9 million.

Responsibilities
The Advisor – Communication and Digital Governance will:

• Develop regional and national strategies to combat online and offline disinformation.
• Facilitate multi-stakeholder platforms for fact-checking and public awareness.
• Create capacity-building tools for media, civil society, and government actors to enhance digital literacy and resilience to information manipulation.
• Provide technical input for policies on platform governance, content moderation, data protection, and algorithmic transparency.
• Support ECOWAS in aligning with continental and global standards, such as the Global Digital Compact.
• Engage with regional ICT regulators, civil society, and platforms to improve regulatory coherence and rights-based digital governance.
• Monitor global trends in generative AI, regulation, and information manipulation to inform ECOWAS responses.
• Promote local AI and innovation ecosystems to support democratic resilience and access to trustworthy information.
• Contribute to the organizational development of ECOWAS units focused on communication and digital governance.
• Support the development of long-term institutional frameworks for strategic communication, digital engagement, and platform oversight.

Tasks:
The Advisor – Communication and Digital Governance will:

• Provide strategic and technical advisory services to the ECOWAS Commission on countering misinformation and disinformation, enhancing institutional resilience, communication capacities, and public trust.
• Design and implement inclusive, gender-responsive digital governance frameworks and policy dialogues on platform accountability, algorithmic transparency, and digital rights within the ECOWAS context.
• Collaborate with ECOWAS directorates to strengthen internal coordination and policy coherence on digital governance and information integrity.
• Co-develop strategies for integrating emerging technologies, such as AI, into communication workflows, policy design, and data analysis.
• Develop and implement capacity-building measures for ECOWAS staff and regional partners, including training on strategic communication, AI literacy, fact-checking, and combating digital threats.
• Establish digital tools and data-driven approaches to monitor public discourse, analyze disinformation trends, and enhance ECOWAS’s digital outreach.
• Draft technical papers, analytical briefs, talking points, and background notes on disinformation, digital platform governance, AI, and innovation in the ECOWAS region.
• Coordinate with stakeholders (civil society, media, tech actors, development partners) to foster regional cooperation and multi-stakeholder dialogue on digital governance and responsible innovation.
• Participate in monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities for the Strategic Communication and Digital Governance component and contribute to reporting.
• Manage consultants, service providers, and vendors, ensuring quality and compliance with project objectives and GIZ standards.
• Support knowledge management by documenting good practices, success stories, and lessons learned in strategic communication, platform governance, and digital innovation in West Africa.
• Perform additional duties as required to support the overall OD project objectives.

Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience
Qualifications:

• MSc/MBA in digital policy, political science, law, media studies, innovation, international relations, or a related field.

Professional Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in strategic communication, digital governance, or combating disinformation.
• At least 2 years of experience fostering partnerships with civil society, media, and regional institutions for early detection and rapid response to disinformation campaigns.
• Proven experience providing technical input for policy briefs and regional frameworks on information integrity and digital governance.
• Strong understanding of digital governance, AI policy, and platform regulation.
• Familiarity with West Africa’s political, digital, and media landscape and relevant policy/regulatory frameworks.
• Experience applying a gender-sensitive or intersectional lens to digital policy, communication strategies, or technology interventions, promoting inclusive approaches that address the impact of disinformation on women and marginalized groups.
• Experience facilitating regional dialogues and multi-stakeholder cooperation in a sensitive and inclusive manner.

Other Knowledge and Competencies:

• Professional proficiency in two ECOWAS official languages (English, French, or Portuguese).
• Strategic thinking with a strong grasp of the intersection of technology, governance, democracy, and human rights.
• Cultural sensitivity and experience working in multilingual, diverse regional environments.
• Commitment to gender equality, diversity, and inclusive digital development.
• Experience with international and donor organizations, including GIZ.
• Excellent skills in data analysis, copy editing, writing, research, oral and written presentation, interpersonal communication, and high integrity.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified. 

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV and letter of motivation as a single document with complete contact details to: recruitment-nigeria@giz.de using the Job Title and Vacancy Number as the subject of the mail.