Programme Officer, Business and Enterprise Promotion at the Economic Commission 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, Business and Enterprise Promotion

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Job Code: 20003535
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Grade: P3 / P4
Department: Economic Affairs & Agriculture
Status: Permanent
Directorate: Private Sector
Division: Business & Enterprise Promotion
Line Supervisor: PPO Business and Enterprise Management

Job Summary
Reporting to the PPO Business and Enterprise Promotion, the incumbent will support the formulation and implementation of programs and action plans to facilitate partnerships among regional private sector operators and the emergence of vibrant regional business and civil society associations to facilitate private sector participation in and contribution to the integration process.

Role and Responsibilities 

• Develop short, medium, and long-term work programmes and action plans to facilitate the formation of enterprises in the region through the promotion of entrepreneurship and the adoption of efficient business regulations.
• Facilitate the harmonization of corporate and allied laws and regulations in the region.
• Collaborate with the relevant regional and international associations and institutions to facilitate the adoption of one stop shops, simplified procedures for start-ups and best practices in business registration and regulations in the region.
• Collaborate with relevant authorities and private sector institutions to promote the development of business infrastructures and support services like incubators, clusters, capacity building, quality control and standards in member states.
• Promote the adoption of simplified and expedited dispute settlement procedures, good corporate governance practices, and world class technologies to improve the competitiveness of businesses in the region.
• Promote networks among business groups and associations in the region and develop linkages to international and Diaspora businesses to boost business operations in the region.
• Promote the development of community enterprises, MSMEs and the informal private sector as a strategy to increase the reach of business support, scale up employment and reduce poverty.
• Publicize the potentials in the region and promote the development of regional brands as basis for business promotion and competitiveness.
• Develop frameworks to monitor country/regional level enterprise development initiatives including skills development and advocacy to identify opportunities, weaknesses and threats and propose early interventions.
• Collaborate and organize meetings with experts, relevant institutions, associations, and donors as necessary to promote entrepreneurship in the region.
• Perform other related duties as may be assigned by the Principal Programme Officer

Academic Qualifications and Experiences

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration/ Management, Finance, Banking or in a closely related field from a university of recognized standing.
• Membership of a related professional body would be an added advantage.
• Minimum of five (5) years relevant working experience, with at least two years at an operational supervisory level in a quality (i.e. standardization, accreditation, certification) establishment.
• Knowledge of the legal and institutional frameworks for standards and conformity assessment applied in member states.
• Good general knowledge of quality management particularly in the areas of conformity assessment (analysis and testing, inspection, or certification) and accreditation, quality management systems to ISO standards (9001, 17020, 17025, 19001, etc.), in metrology or in the establishment of quality infrastructure.
• Experience in regional or international organizations would be an added advantage.

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 the 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 subordinates to build strong working relationships and improve performance.
• Contribute to maintaining organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.
• Interpersonal skills with the ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to the 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 needs, 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 and 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.

Salary
USD77,480.72 - USD89,289.87 Annually.

Application Closing Date
15th May, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their correctly filled Application Form, Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a Motivation Letter to: [email protected] using the job title as the subject of the mail.

Click here to download the application form (Docx.)

Note

• Female applications are encouraged.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted
• Applications initially submitted with only the CV remain acceptable.
• ECOWAS does not charge a fee for recruitment and will not request for your account details.