Programme Officer, Ecowas Agriculture Information System (ECOAGRIS) at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Status: Permanent
Grade: P3/P4
Department: Agriculture, Environment And Natural Ressources
Directorate: Agriculture And Rural Development
Division: Agriculture
Line Supervisor: Director, Administration & Finance

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Principal Programme Officer, Agriculture, the incumbent shall monitor and coordinate the ECOWAS integrated agricultural information system to enable analysis and decision-making

Role and Responsibilities

• Monitor and implement the Regulation on ECOAGRIS and its steering, monitoring and governance bodies
• Monitor and coordinate the National Focal Points and the ECOAGRIS Regional Focal Points,
• Coordinate and ensure the permanent updating of the database of agro-sylvo-pastoral and fishery products and markets,
• Produce analytical reports (dashboard) on agro-sylvo-pastoral and fishery production for the ECOWAS SAP-ECOLINK database,
• Maintain the quality of the data collected in the countries and acquisition of Geo-Data from satellites
• Ensure the IT security of the ECOAGRIS database in permanent consultation with the CILSS / AGRYMETH Center,
• Collaborate with CILSS / AGRYMETH, UEMOA and other Regional and International Institutions Contributing to ECOAGRIS database
• Ensure the availability of data to ECOWAS decision makers and interested Partners,
• Provide data and information to food security early warning systems;
• Formulate and Develop regional projects and actions on Agri-data development to allow Management to mobilize international funds.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Agriculture, Statistic, Engineering, Economy, Agri-economy, Agronomy, or related field, Rural Economy or any other relevant field from a recognized University
• Have at least 8 years of professional experience in the field Agriculture Statistics and Data analysis and management
•  Broad experience as a program/project manager, project manager and programs;
• Demonstrated experiences in the fields of agriculture statistic data collection, analysis and aggregation
• Skills in agricultural policy formulation, project / program formulation, strategic planning or institutional and regulatory framework;

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

Annual Salary
UA49,106.81, USD77480.72 / UA56,591.37, USD89,289.87