Investment Climate Regulatory Officer at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: No ADB/17/308
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Grade: PL4
Position N°: 50093744

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization is central to the Bank’s mission of developing the private sector, improving infrastructure and accelerating industrialization.
• The complex main functions are to (i) strengthen the enabling environment for private sector [and financial sector] development conducive to inclusive growth and sustainable development, (ii) support the development of reliable and sustainable infrastructure, including cities and urban development, and (iii) place renewed emphasis on industrial and trade performance in support of structural transformation across Africa.
• The Complex leverages knowledge, co-financing, and partnerships to attract private capital and work with governments on delivering the Bank’s development agenda.

The Hiring Division

• In line with the Bank Ten-Year Strategy, and consistent with the Bank’s Industrialization Strategy for Africa, the Division drives the Trade development, facilitation and investment climate agenda to support the industrialization and overall development agenda of the Bank.
• The Division is mandated to drive the Bank’s trade facilitation and investment climate agenda working in close collaboration with the Transport and logistics department, the industrialization team as well as the Economic Governance, Agriculture and Regional Integration complexes and the regional hubs of the Bank.

The Position

• The Investment Climate Regulatory Expert will report to the Division Manager and will focus on helping client governments improve business and investment laws, policies, regulations and incentives regimes and reduce economy-wide barriers in order to stimulate private domestic and foreign direct investment and job creation. The incumbent will work with RMCs to create enabling business climate supporting investment and the development of socially responsive enterprises. The incumbent will work across the various sector complexes and regions of the Bank.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the general guidance and supervision of the Manager, Trade and Investment Climate Division, the Investment Climate Regulatory Expert will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

• Undertake reviews of investment policies, institutions and mechanisms in RMCs, highlighting challenges and obstacles to investment flows and business activity in countries;
• Design action/reform plans and technical assistance programs leading to improved investment climate and business environment in RMCs;
• Identify and initiate programs/projects and initiatives relevant for investment policy and regulatory reforms fostering private sector investment and entrepreneurship;
• Contribute to the development and incubation of new platforms, work streams and approaches in the area of investment policy and business support;
• Provide support for enabling policy, legislative and regulatory environment (“soft infrastructure”) for private sector development;
• Mainstream the investment climate principles within the Bank’s private sector programs and investments;
• Undertake knowledge generation and dissemination of best practice on competition policies across countries and regions, including indicators and statistics on the status of competition at economy and industry levels;
• Contribute to the development of collaborative partnerships with external partners and other Bank teams involved in promoting the enabling environment and improving investment climate in countries, including following up on the work done by the erstwhile Investment Climate Facility for Africa;
• Facilitate policy dialogue amongst national stakeholders (private and public) as well as authorities (regulatory institution) towards improving the enabling business environment;
• Apply existing tools, such as the annual Doing Business Report, and instruments to benchmark, assess and track investment climate in countries.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Hold at least a Master's Degree or its equivalent in Economics, Public Policy, Public Administration, Law, or other relevant discipline;
• Have a minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience in the area of public and private sector investment climate policy formulation and reforms,
• Technical expertise and experience in investment climate policy as well as, global trends and regional drivers of foreign direct investment and business environment;
• Demonstrates technical expertise to contribute to the design of and implementation of projects as well as to advise peers and more senior staff on approaches and measures toward improving business and investment climate in RMCs;
• Experience in business environment analysis and development of instrument and tools for measuring impacts and results;
• Strong knowledge of socio-economic, investment climate, regulatory reforms and policies and business environment issues in African countries;
• Client and results oriented individual, with strong analytical and communication (both verbally and in writing) skills, sense of accuracy and attention to detail;
• Ability to build partnership with a broad range of clients and deliver results that meet the needs and long-term interests of clients within and outside the institution;
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, preferably with a good working knowledge of the other;
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).