Principal Water Resources Economist, ECNR at African Development Bank - AfDB

The Complex

• The Chief Economist and Vice-President for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management (ECVP) is the Bank’s spokesperson on economic matters and the VP for the ‘Economics Governance and Knowledge Management Complex’.
• The ECVP is responsible for (i) providing leadership and visibility for the Bank on economic, finance, financial governance and socio economic development issues; and coordinate the generation of analytical works to inform operational policy; (ii) systematically emphasize the critical role of knowledge, experience, lessons learnt and their tangible impact on sustainable, inclusive transformation of African economies.
• The ECVP will inspire, generate and provide direct support to the President and Senior Management of the Bank on a broad range of technical and management issues within the broad remit of economic, finance, public financial governance, management and social economics.

The Hiring Department / Division

• The external role of the African Natural Resources Center (ANRC) is to support Regional Member Countries (RMCs) improve development outcomes through effective management of natural resources wealth by delivering practical solutions on policy, legislative and investment decisions in the sector. Internally, it brings cohesion to the Bank’s strategies in natural resources sectors by providing a single lens through which the institution tackles natural resources governance.

The Position
Water resources cut across four main sectors normally represented as a nexus, namely water/energy/food/environment security - water for human consumption, hydropower, agriculture and environment. These are interdependent and closely linked, as used by one sector will impact available resources for other sectors at any given time. The “water nexus” functions as a tool to assist decision-makers to best balance water use at any given time. The objective is to maximize sustainable benefits of available water resources in the wider socio-economic context necessary for sustainable development. The objective of the post, therefore, is to:

• Provide strategic advice to the Director, technical leadership and support to water experts and consultants responsible for producing research papers, policy briefs and country sector studies and other knowledge products to help inform water resources planning, investments and governance in Regional Member Countries of the African Development Bank.
• Act as the Center’s focal point in managing strategic relationships and partnerships with other development partners, regional governments, private and civil society organizations.
• Oversee advocacy initiatives on water resources planning, investments and governance.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Manager and working in collaboration with other colleagues, the Principal Water Resources Economist provides support to AfDB’s water resources governance initiatives. In particular:

• Undertake and supervise economic, thematic, and sector work (ESW) in emerging water resource management challenges and identify investment opportunities to promote integrated water resources management and regional cooperation in the water sector.
• Undertake water resources modelling on the basis of the “water nexus approach’ to help inform Regional Member Countries’ decision making in the water sector – allocation, efficiency, equity, use, access and sustainability of water resources and ecosystems.
• Develop water resources policies, strategies and plans for member countries through the preparation and administration of advisory TA projects.
• Evaluate water resources policies and projects; intra-regional and regional cooperation activities in the water sector; and on the role of water in developing rural economies and poverty reduction.
• Lead and participate in the production of key policy briefs, position papers and guidelines on water resources; by liaising with government, academia/research institutions, private agencies and NGOs on water use issues, and help the Center develop appropriate responses. This will include responding to enquiries from the media and public.
• Organize, originate and/or participate in the production of knowledge management and dissemination of information related to water resources management, including the drafting of Terms of Reference (ToR), the selection of consultants and the supervision of the technical aspects of their work.
• Collaborate with Country departments to elaborate Bank’s water resources management and development related policy and programs, and when necessary participate in related policy dialogue with RMC’s governments; including the promotion of sustainable water resources management and development.
• Identify major opportunities for strategic collaboration with multilateral and bilateral donors to improve the governance of water resources in Africa; by engaging with them on policy advice.
• Contribute technical inputs to the preparation of country strategy papers and portfolio reviews, with particular reference to the governance of water resources.
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to other natural resource management experts in the ANRC, the Economic Governance and Knowledge Management Complex, other relevant departments and the Bank’s Regional and Country offices.
• Support the Bank and RMCs in identification, preparation and appraisal of water resources management and development projects.

Selection Criteria

• Hold at least a Master's degree or its equivalent in Water Resources Economics; Integrated Water Resources Management, Natural Resources Policy, or closely related natural resources management fields of study.
• Have a minimum of (6) six years work experience in the sector, international organizations, regulatory environment or a think-tank with a focus in water resource economics, integrated water resource management and the relevant sector and/or function.
• A change agent with track record in project design, execution and publishing for internal and external audiences.
• Knowledge and hands-on experience of sector policy/regulatory environment, regional initiatives in the sector, regional development programs and relevant protocols.
• Knowledge management and oversight of advocacy programs.
• Designing and implementing programs of advice and capacity building.
• Knowledge of the region and water sector environment.
• Knowledge of principles of good governance as pertaining to natural resources policy,
• Project Management skills.
• Private sector experience is an added advantage.
• Innovation & Creativity.
• Communication.
• Strategic planning.
• Client orientation.
• Team work and relations.
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).
• Experience in the use of SAP is advantageous.