Job Opportunities at The African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

Location: Abidjan, Cote D'ivoire

Position Number: 50100504

Objectives

• Established in 2006, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation aims to support good governance and great leadership in Africa.
• The Foundation works to:
  • Stimulate debate on good governance;
  • Provide criteria by which citizens and governments can measure progress;
  • Recognize achievement in African leadership and provide a practical way in which leaders can build positive legacies on the continent when they have left office
  • Support aspiring leaders for the African continent.
• The Mo Ibrahim Foundation (the “Foundation”), is financing the Ibrahim Leadership Fellowship position in the African Development Bank (the “Bank”).
• The Fellow will perform the functions and duties of the position at the headquarters of the Bank in Abidjan, the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, or in any other location from which the Bank carries out its operations.
• The Mo Ibrahim Leadership Fellowship Programme is a selective Fellowship that prepares the next generation of outstanding African leaders by providing them with unique work opportunities at the most senior level of prominent African institutions or multilateral organizations, whose mandate is to improve the economic and social prospects of Africa.
• The Fellowship allows talented individuals to increase and enhance their professional capacity, with the intention of contributing to the governance and development of their countries thereby creating a pipeline of future African leaders.

The Fellow will work with the Bank for this purpose, for a period not exceeding twelve (12) months, and the Foundation will finance the costs associated with the position on the following terms:

Contract Terms and Duration

• The fellow will receive an annual stipend monthly paid by the Bank out of the funds provided by Foundation. The Fellow may be required to travel to different locations on instructions of the Bank. All expenses related to the Fellow’s official mission travel, including travel insurance but excluding travel and shipping costs relating to assumption of duty and repatriation, will be borne by the Bank.
• The Fellow will sign a contract with the Bank before commencement of service.
• For the duration of his/her contract with the Bank, the Fellow will, for all operational purposes and purposes of conduct, be required to comply with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the Bank. Only the Bank and not the Foundation shall be entitled to direct and instruct the Fellow in his/her performance or conduct during the course his/her assignment with the Bank.
• The Fellow is not a regular employee of the Bank, or is not granted a right to employment with the Bank. There is no obligation to hire the Fellow and there is no presumption of future employment at the Bank upon expiration of the twelve (12) month fellowship Term. The Fellow shall not be eligible for recruitment as a staff member of the Bank for a period of 1 (one) year from the date of termination of his/her Fellowship with the Bank or expiration of the 12 month Fellowship term (whichever is sooner).
• The Fellow shall not participate in the Bank’s child educational scheme and staff medical insurance and retirement plans.
• The Mo Ibrahim Foundation will ensure that the Fellow has his/her own medical insurance, child education and retirement plan arrangements.
• The travel and shipping costs for the assumption of duty and repatriation at the end of the appointment will be borne and paid out of the Funds provided by the Foundation.

Duties and Responsibilities

• The Ibrahim Leadership Fellow will take leadership guidance from the President, the Senior Vice President, the Chief of Staff and Director of Cabinet and/or a designated Representative. With this guidance, the Fellow will contribute to the design and implementation of strategic assignments that will increase and enhance their professional and leadership capacity, with the intention of contributing to the governance and development of their countries.

The Fellow Will Also Have the Following Responsibilities:

• Design, develop and help implement innovative approaches to various strategic issues of importance to the Bank’s mission and objectives, based on international best practice.
• Undertake research and analysis of existing and emerging strategy, program and policy areas relevant for the Bank, as required.
• Assist with the monitoring and analysis of the implementation of various Bank Group initiatives as well as the regular work program, and prepare briefs, memos and other documentation that convey in non-technical terms the likely impact;
• Participate in high-level discussions and contribute to the preparation of the President’s meetings and missions; and
• Carry out any other assigned duties by relevant senior staff in the President’s office.

Selection Criteria: (Including Desirable Skills, Knowledge and Experience)

• The priority for the 2022 selection of the Mo Ibrahim Fellow is the Bank’s High 5 areas (lighting up and powering Africa; Feeding Africa; Industrializing Africa; Integrating Africa and Improving the quality of life for the people of Africa).
• The key competences are top notch professional experience in private sector and strong policy analytical skills at all levels and ability to run models.
• The Fellowship is for young professionals, mid-career or/and new executives.

The Fellow Must:

• Be national of an African country, residing anywhere in the world;
• Not be an active, non-active, retired, or separated staff member of the Bank;
• Not have close family relations with an active or non-active staff member, such as mother, father, sister and brother;
• Government officials, active military personnel and political party leaders are not eligible;
• Age limit is forty (40) years for men and women and forty-five (45) years for women with children;
• Have outstanding academic credentials backed by a minimum of a Master’s Degree from a recognized institution in banking, business, economics or other social sciences, finance, international development, or in any other discipline relevant to the Bank’s business;
• Have relevant and demonstrable work experience, strong communication skills, demonstrated leadership skills and ability to work with others;
• Have at least 7 (seven) years’ work experience relevant to the Bank’s activities;
• Demonstrate proven leadership and consultative skills;
• Have experience in strategic planning, project management and execution;
• Have experience in formulating policy, and developing and implementing new strategies and procedures;
• Demonstrate strong ability to analyze and interpret financial and other data;
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills;
• Demonstrate ability to communicate and interact with officials at all levels of government and to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community;
• Demonstrate ability to motivate teams and simultaneously manage several projects.

Interested candidates should complete the online form at the Bank’s website: https://career2.successfactors.eu/sfcareer/jobreqcareer?jobId=326&company=africandev(link is external)

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Position Number: 50086910
Location: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Position Grade: PL5

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:
  • Strengthen the enabling environment for private sector [and financial sector] development conducive to inclusive growth and sustainable development,
  • Support the development of reliable and sustainable infrastructure, including cities and urban development, and;
  • 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 Department:

• For effective, coherent and harmonized Private Sector Operations performed by the 5 sectoral departments of the Bank (Energy, Infrastructure, Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Social Services, Financial services) a Central Support Department for NSOs-related activities (PINS) was recently put in place.
• The primary role of PINS is to: (i) assist Sector Departments to efficiently design and monitor NSOs, in a coherent manner, in line with the best market practices and in consistency with the Bank’s related Strategies, Policies and Guidelines, including the Bank’s Private Sector Development Strategy and Policy, (ii) manage the corporate portfolio comprises equity, debt and guaranty instrument.

The Position
The main responsibilities of the Equity Portfolio Management officer are:

• Supervise and monitor active equity investments of the Bank (identifying risks, proposing mitigants),
• Contribute to corporate portfolio management reporting,
• Ensure dissemination of lessons learnt and knowledge sharing on Private Equity development.

Key Function
Under the supervision of the Division Manager, the Equity Portfolio Management officer will perform the following duties:

• Analyze and monitor the Bank’s equity investment portfolio assigned to him/her, Carry-out the Supervision related activities of the Bank’s Private Equity Investments and periodically report on activities.
• Prepare mandatory portfolio reports namely the Annual Supervision Reports (ASRs), Quarterly Project Status Report (PSRs) and/or Extended Supervision Reports (XSRs) on the assigned PE investments.
• Process recommendation for clearance for all resolutions, waiver requests including rescheduling, restructuring, and other changes in the terms of investment agreements, lead discussions (internal and external) and prepare the internal documents required to obtain relevant approval in line with the Delegation Authority Matrix of the Bank.
• Initiate and Participate in calls / virtual meetings pertaining to the assigned equity investment portfolio with Fund Managers, other investors or co-investors and ACs members, etc.
• Review and clear with AC representatives capital calls / distribution notices from Funds and Companies before recording on system and payment processing;
• Review and analyze the adequacy of quarterly valuation of each of the assigned portfolio assets (methodology, assumptions, accuracy of multiples and comparable (whichever is applicable), consistency of projections over time, early warning signals for potential impairment, etc.);
• Prepare Briefs on assigned projects or other matters related to the portfolio as and when requested;
• Contribute in the analysis of equity investments and portfolio trends and report on portfolio quality in terms of financial performance, operational performance, environmental impacts and development effectiveness.
• Assist in implementation of the internal and external audit recommendation related to equity portfolio management.
• As part of Project Appraisal Team (PAT), contribute lessons learned and input to the origination teams at screening stage and through the appraisal process and negotiation of investments.
• Work closely with the Advisory Committee members of Private Equity Funds to ensure homogenization of practices and strong governance.
• Attend seminars/conferences/workshops dealing with Private Equity development on the continent to enhance PE industry knowledge.
• Contribute to capacity building seminars as applicable.
• Handle other ad hoc assignments as requested by the Management team of PINS.

Competencies (Skills, Experience and Knowledge)

• At least a Master’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Law or Economics or related subjects.
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in the Bank or a similar institution and/or in strategic consultancy, Private Equity Fund, Asset Management.
• Experience and understanding of direct equity investment and private equity funds management.
• Knowledge of equity valuation methods.
• Experience in equity investment appraisal.
• Proven ability to acquire new skills (particularly in legal, investment, risk capital, technology and innovative sectors).
• Capacity to adapt to the rapidly evolving needs of the Bank’s Non-Sovereign Operations ecosystem.
• Knowledge of international economic development issues is not essential but would be an asset.
• Sense of initiative and innovation in proposing solutions to clients and partners’ needs.
• Ability to respond swiftly to new situations and to anticipate new issues.
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other.
• Strong interpersonal skills and agility to communicate at all levels of the organization. 
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint). Knowledge of SAP and eFront is desirable.

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Position Number: 50078329
Location: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Position Grade: PL3

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for ‘Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth’ is a Sector Complex focusing on the Bank’s Ten Years Strategy, High 5s priorities of “Light up and Power Africa”. The complex’s objectives are:
  • To develop policy and strategy;
  • To provide deep sector technical expertise to the Regions by gathering pool of experienced individuals who can be consulted for their expertise on complicated transactions;
  • To develop new financing instruments;
  • To act as spokesperson to represent the Bank with external stakeholders on all aspects of “Light Up and Power Africa”.
• The Complex will focus on areas of Power systems, policy and regulation, renewable energy; and, Climate and Green Growth.

The Department / Division:

• The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Department has the broad objective of promoting the development of renewable energy - both large and small scale - and promoting energy efficiency along with clean cooking. 

More specifically, the department is mandated to:

• Function as a one-stop source / hub for renewables programs/projects, energy efficiency and clean cooking (ii) focus on “enabling market development” with an emphasis on developing new approaches / areas (e.g. mini-grid programs, thematic or country focused funds) and play a lead role in establishing region- or country-specific programs (iii)  mobilize concessional resources as part of the structuring of blended finance solutions for projects and programs.
• The Department also hosts the Desert to Power (DtP) Taskforce. The DtP initiative aims to accelerate economic development in the Sahel region through the deployment of solar technologies at scale. Specifically, DtP proposes to deliver electricity to 160 million people on-grid and 90 million off-grid and to add solar energy generation capacity of up to 10 GW through a combination of public and private interventions.
• The initiative covers 11 countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan). The initial rollout will focus on the G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger). It aims to develop and implement electrification program based on solar power generation including grid based, mini-grid and off-grid access scale up for households, social and economic infrastructure including energy for productive uses.

The Position

• Bank’s renewable energy activities to place the Bank in a leading role in Africa with respect to the development, financing, and deployment of renewable energy projects.
• He / she will provide in-depth expertise related to the planning, development, structuring, financing and implementation of renewable energy projects, grid integration aspects for renewables and decentralized energy solutions in the form of green Mini-Grids and Solar Home Systems.
• The incumbent will work with the various teams in the complex and the regions to further increase the Bank’s footprint in the renewable energy space in Africa.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision and guidance of the Division Manager – Renewable Energy, the Chief Renewable Energy Specialist will perform the following:

• Provide core technical expertise to the roll-out of the Desert to Power activities and engage with relevant stakeholders in regional member countries to set up conducive enabling policy and regulatory environment for the development of renewable energy and off-grid access.
• Take a leading role in assisting regional member countries in structuring and obtaining funding for renewable energy projects from internal and external climate finance facilities. He/She will also assist project task managers in the preparation and
  implementation of national and multi-national projects aimed at accelerating the energy transition including renewable generation projects.
• Provide in quality assurance in the preparation of renewable energy grid integration studies, feasibility studies for renewable generation projects, and g decentralized energy solutions.
• Mobilize technical assistance resources from various internal and external sources for renewable energy projects.  
• Support regional member countries to ensure the effective implementation of renewable energy components of their nationally determined contributions.
• Take a leading role, along with hub-based staff, in the process of identification and preparation of renewables related operations (policy, advisory, investment) whilst ensuring country ownership.
• Contribute to the preparation of knowledge and analytical work to inform country strategic work as well as new operations in renewable energy, and to the delivery of economic and sector work related to the renewable energy sector.
• Undertake any other task that the Division Manager or Director may assign.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge, and experience:

• Hold at least a Master’s Degree in Energy, Renewable Energy, Engineering, or related subjects.
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years professional experience in the energy sector, broad knowledge of energy sub-sectors, of which at least five years in the renewable energy space.
• Additional qualifications in specific renewable energy technologies (e.g. wind, solar, biomass, geothermal), project management and climate finance would be an asset.
• Experience in the implementation of regional transmission interconnection, large scale solar PV generation with battery storage, on grid integration for renewables, and green mini-grids projects.
• Experience of working across multiple institutions and ensuring collaboration across public, private, and civil society sectors.
• Proven ability to interact competently with, as well as to assess and provide technical advisory services to, both public and private sector stakeholders in the renewable energy space.
• Proven ability to lead renewable power project development and financing in the region.
• In-depth knowledge of power utilities operation as well the legal, policy and regulatory frameworks governing renewable energy projects, particularly in developing country context.
• Full knowledge of the principles of project cycle and project implementation.
• Proven interpersonal skills, demonstrated through the ability to work in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic environment, with sensitivity and respect for diversity, as well as the ability to build trust and coach each individual member team.
• Strong interpersonal and client orientation skills, with proven experience in coordinating various activities and diverse teams.
• Communicate and write effectively in French and English, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); Knowledge of SAP is an advantage.

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Position Number: 50000983, 50104494
Location: Democratic Republic of Congo / Mali
Position Grade: PL5

The Complex

• Within the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Complex (RDVP), the Bank has five (5) Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery (RDIBD) Directorates, one in each region of Africa: North, South, East, West, and Central.
• Each Regional Directorate is headed by a Director General (DG) and is staffed with the relevant sectoral functions and administrative capabilities for rapid delivery of services to client countries.
• The Regional Directorates provide overall strategic direction to country offices within the regions and are responsible for the Bank’s operations, business development, project management and overall effective delivery of the Bank’s High 5s of ‘Light up and Power Africa,’ ‘Feed Africa,’ ‘Industrialize Africa,’ ‘Integrate Africa,’ ‘Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.

The Hiring Department:

• The Transition States Coordination Office (RDTS) is responsible for leading and implementing African Development Bank Group (the Bank) Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in its Regional Member Countries. It coordinates the Bank’s work on addressing fragility and building resilience, including activities of all fragility and resilience professionals stationed in the various Regional Hubs or Country Offices.
• Over the past decade, Africa has seen enormous growth and transformation that has expanded opportunities and improved living conditions for millions of people. More than two-thirds of African countries have strengthened their quality of governance, improved basic services, and expanded economic opportunities.
• Yet, there are significant risks that this momentum could be undermined by important pressures - continuing patterns of exclusion and poverty, unemployment, high migration, rapid urbanization, climate change and poor management of natural resources that threaten to overwhelm existing institutional capacities for managing political, economic, social and environmental challenges. These pressures are making every single African country more vulnerable. RDTS aims to place the Bank at the center of Africa’s efforts to address fragility and pave the way for a more resilient and inclusive development trajectory.
• A major part of RDTS’ activities involves the identification of the main drivers of fragility, including economic, social, political and environmental dimensions, and how the Bank’s programs and projects can contribute to equity and inclusive development. Central to RDTS engagement is the systematic application of a fragility lens to identify, respond to and prevent fragility and to build resilience and focus the Bank’s engagement in the areas where it can have the biggest impact.

The Position

• Under the supervision of the Lead Coordinator, the Senior Fragility and Resilience Officer works closely with other staff at the Transition States Coordination Office to implement its work program annually.
• Under the guidance and supervision of the Lead Coordinator, he/she provides support and intellectual inputs into the Bank’s Economic and Sector Work programs aimed at deepening the understanding of root causes and consequences of fragility, and the best approaches of addressing them and to strengthen institution and people’s resilience at both national and regional contexts.
• The analysis would be grounded in the Bank Group’s experience in implementing its Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience and the Transition Support Facility as well as global good practices in dealing with fragility. The work will entail analyzing issues related to politics, economy, social, environment, institutions, focusing on how these issues affect people at the community level, hamper socioeconomic development, and developing strategies for bridging those issues to achieve sustained inclusive growth.
• The Senior Fragility and Resilience Officer’s work is an integral part of RDTS’ effort to institutionalize the fragility agenda, and her/his responsibilities also include preparation of analytical papers, fragility lens application, fragility assessments, and policy advocacy.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Lead Coordinator, the Senior Fragility and Resilience Officer will perform the following duties:

• Conduct country analysis of fragility drivers and resilience sources in assigned TSF-beneficiary countries to determine eligibility for continuing support;
• Contribute to RDTS team’s efforts for institutionalizing and applying the fragility lens through an appropriate mainstreaming of fragility considerations in the Bank’s strategies and operations. In close collaboration with key Bank Sectoral and Operational Departments/Units, including Regional Delivery Hubs and Country Offices, participate in the preparation, peer-review, and readiness reviews processes of the Country Diagnostic Notes (CDNs), Regional Diagnostic Notes (RDNs), Country Strategy Papers (CSPs), Regional Integration Strategy Papers (RISPs), Project Concept Notes (PCNs), and Project Appraisal Reports (PARs) to ensure fragility is mainstreamed into Bank operations;
• Provide technical inputs into the development of relevant tools, frameworks and guidelines and work with regional and sector departments for the integration of fragility and resilience consideration into Bank Group’s operational strategies such as country strategic papers, country briefs and project appraisal documents;
• Provide technical inputs into the preparation of project appraisal reports, including various risk analysis and financial/economic analysis, for presentation to the various review committees and the Board of Directors;
• Contribute to the preparation and the peer-reviewing of RDTS analytical products, including regional and national Full-Fledged Fragility Assessments, the annual Country Resilience and Fragility Assessment (CRFA) Report, Economic and Sector Work (ESW) studies, as well as briefing notes as relevant to facilitating informed interventions in addressing fragility;
• Work with external partner institutions at the local, national and regional levels to ensure that peacebuilding activities that complement the Bank Group’s core mandate and areas of competitive advantages are sufficiently addressed in order to comprehensively deal with the root causes of fragility and avoid slippage in the peace/state-building process;
• Contribute to the preparation of key documents for resource mobilization, especially for the Transition Support Facility (TSF) during the replenishment and mid-term review discussions of the African Development Fund (ADF) in close coordination with relevant Bank units;
• Work with fragility experts as well as sectoral experts to forecast political, economic and social trends and to adopt and use appropriate tools and approaches for conducting policy dialogue with national authorities in assigned countries/region;
• Participate in the Bank's departmental and inter-departmental working groups and provide technical inputs that help the understanding and mainstreaming of fragility issues and approaches in the design, validation and implementation of Bank interventions in countries facing fragile situations;
• Work with Regional Economic Communities (REC) and international development partners, as well as peace-building and humanitarian actors for the development of joint collaboration platforms for exchange of experiences and information-sharing on issues, dynamics and best practices around the African fragility agenda;
• In coordination with appropriate Bank authorities, develop a clear and practical roadmap to foster dialogue with RMCs on drivers of fragility which will have arisen from the assessments with a view to identifying targeted entry points for building institutional capacities and resilience through design and implementation of mitigation measures;
• Undertake any other assignments and tasks as may be assigned by the Director (RDTS) and/or the Vice-President (RDVP). Such assignments may involve working with Bank teams and/or staff within or outside RDTS.

Selection Criteria
The successful candidate is expected to have the following qualifications and competencies:

• Hold at least a Master’s Degree in Economics, Business Administration, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Political Economy, Political Science, Development Economics, Public Administration, or any related qualification.
• Have a minimum of five (5) years relevant experience in economic research, peace and state building, design and/or implementation of fragility and conflict sensitive interventions, and strong experience in developing and delivering projects/programs in fragile contexts including assessments, sensitivity analysis and applications.
• Innovation and Creativity: The commitment to search for and produce innovative creative approaches to activities in order to enhance performance and create added benefits to the Bank and its clients.
• Communication: Provide clear and concise oral and written communication; presents oral information with clarity and appropriate style and adapt language and style to suit the requirements of a particular audience.
• Problem Solving: Apply business knowledge to the resolution of problems and identify solutions to the benefit of the client (internal and external) and the organization.
• Client Orientation: Ensure that the client is considered to be of primary importance in all transactions and interactions. Strive to understand, and when appropriate, anticipate client needs, and ensures that the client receives the best possible service from the Bank.
• Team Working and Relationships: Work with others to maximize the effectiveness of the team as a whole. Sharing the knowledge and workload. Develop strong working relationships with colleagues and contribute to creation of a positive team environment.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing effectively in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).