Programme Officer-Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) at COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale

Location: Potiskum, Yobe

• The Programme Officer-VSLA will facilitate the formation and strengthening of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) to enhance financial inclusion and livelihood resilience among project beneficiaries.

Key Responsibilities

• Train communities on VSLA methodologies and financial literacy.
• Establish VSLA groups and link to financial institutions/ revolving fund
• Monitor VSLA group performance and provide technical support.
• Link VSLAs to microfinance institutions and agricultural input suppliers.
• Document success stories and lessons learned.
• Identify viable addition opportunities along the agri-value chains
• Support youths and women access capital finance for commodity processing and packaging.
• Train the youths and women in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, marketing and government financial guarantees
• Registration of the VSLA groups as cooperatives and linking them to NDE for government financial guarantees

Monitoring and Reporting:

• Track VSLA group performance, savings, and loan repayment rates.
• Document success stories and challenges.
• Submit regular reports to the VSLA Officer.

Livelihoods and Economic Recovery:

• Link VSLAs to income-generating activities and market opportunities.
• Facilitate small business development among group members.
• Facilitate financial literacy training and linkages to financial institutions of VSLA members
• Promote digitalization of the VSLA groups in partnership with Airtel

Social Cohesion and Peacebuilding:

• Promote inclusive participation (women, youth, marginalized groups) in VSLAs.
• Integrate peace-building dialogues within VSLA meetings.

Qualifications and Experience

• Degree in Economics, Business Administration, Social Sciences, or related field.
• Minimum 3 years experience in VSLA, microfinance, or community-based savings programs.
• Strong facilitation and training skills.
• Knowledge of local languages (Hausa/Kanuri) is an advantage.

General Conditions for this position:

• Willingness to travel frequently to rural communities.
• Adherence to project policies on gender equality and conflict sensitivity.
• Collaborate with other project teams (peacebuilding, Forestry and Natural Resources Management, Nutrition etc.).