Access to Finance/Business Promotion Advisor (Short Term) at Widows and Orphans Empowerment Organization (WEWE)

Job Role

• Work with Commercial banks, Savings and Credit Cooperatives, and Village/Community Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and provide technical support and guidance to these institutions as well as smallholders owned Cooperatives, agribusinesses operators and other value chain actors.
• Identify and document financial constraints in agribusiness clusters and value chain and develop strategies to address them.
• Building on the capacity gap(s) identified for Commercial banks, Savings and Credit Cooperatives, and VSLAs, lead the implementation of capacity building support designed to improve their lending and savings products to the agricultural sector; improve financial & risk management capacity.
• Pilot solutions and innovations practices for agro-inputs and small equipment financing, agricultural production risk management, supply chain financing, Income generating activities financing, chain upgrading financing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
• Develop and deliver trainings programs and technical assistance to financial institutions as well as clusters and chain actors.
• Support the identification, appointment, and training of community-based trainers (CBTs) and/or village agents to guide formation of VSLA and Commercial banks, Savings and Credit Cooperatives, groups and offer technical assistance to ensure sustainability.

Required Qualification

• Master's degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration or other related field.

Job Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience, including in one or several of the following areas: small and medium rural enterprise finance, agricultural value chain finance, microfinance, business development services, financial institutions.
• Up-to-date knowledge of the agricultural finance environment in Nigeria.
• Resourceful, innovative and ready to test new approaches.
• Result-orientation and ability to take initiatives under minimal supervision and reach targets.
• Ability to strictly meet deadlines.
• Team player, at ease in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment.
• Professional fluency in English.
• Competency in the use of computers and MS Office software, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Proficiency in Hausa Language is an asset.