IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2023, IFC committed a record US$43.7 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of global compounding crises. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

Fragility is on the rise globally, with poverty amplified by climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Africa is disproportionately affected by these challenges and is currently home to 32 countries categorized as Fragile and Conflict Situations (FCS). Many of these countries have great development needs and suffer from endemic poverty, a longstanding lack of investment, high business costs and huge operational challenges for businesses. To this end, IFC has launched the Africa Fragility Initiative (AFI), a 5-year advisory and upstream program across 32 countries dedicated to supporting the growth and development of responsible private sector-led growth and job creation in African FCS. AFI supports business development and deal origination, provides supplementary market intelligence, and enables IFC teams to expand and implement their projects by providing that critical handholding support to local sponsors, and contribute to IFC’s thought leadership on private sector development in fragile countries. AFI is a new tool that allows IFC to work closely with our partners, share operational knowledge, mainstream conflict sensitivity, and enable and systematize responsible and context-specific investments in markets that need it the most especially where operational challenges today inhibit private sector activity.

FCS countries in Africa have proven to be challenging for IFC investments as most potential sponsors are small, operate relatively informally, do not meet IFC’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) or integrity standards, and are not ready to engage in productive negotiations with lenders. To address these challenges, AFI has launched the Local Champions Initiative (“LCI”) with the aim of scaling up support to sponsors operating in African FCS to build a pipeline of investable projects for IFC. The IFC FCS team is seeking a highly motivated GF2 Operations Officer to be based in Lome, Togo to support the implementation of the Local Champions Initiative (LCI) in the Sahel. The CN was approved in October 2022, and 30 potential local sponsors were identified during the pre-implementation phase. The IP was approved in May 2023. The role will report to the AFI Program Manager based in Nairobi.

Duties And Accountabilities

• Lead the implementation of the LCI Sahel program which IP was approved in May 2023, working closely in coordination with the COs/Res Reps.
• Coordinate the consultants supporting LCI work in the Sahel countries.
• Lead client engagement and relationship management on the ground to ensure high client satisfaction and the program relevance with ongoing advisory engagements;
• Work with external consultants and World Bank Group colleagues to finalize training needs assessment and deliver technical support to selected local champions;
• Work collaboratively with IFC Investment/Upstream/Advisory and CMA colleagues to align advisory to help build a pipeline of investment projects, support the processing of investment leads and propose compelling “one IFC” solutions to champions;
• Liaise with industry and country office colleagues and other relevant units to ensure consistency of vision/efforts and align actions on business development and pipeline building efforts in target countries
• Lead on the preparation and delivery of the Project Supervision Reports (PSRs).
• Perform periodic reporting and liaison as required with Development Partners and IFC Africa management team on progress and designated achievements;
• Ensure LCI is delivering in line with the M and E plan;
• Operate with a relative degree of autonomy, under the overall guidance of the AFI Program Manager.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree in a related field and at least 4–8 years of relevant experience. Related fields of education include business, finance, or economics or an area of expertise specific to a sector, subject matter, or industry specialty. Relevant experience could include a proven track record in business consulting or investment banking, or operational experience in the sector or technical or professional field.
• Knowledge and experience of working in the Sahel
• Understanding of the AFI program and experience working in/on one of Sahel or West Africa countries
• Private sector development and operational experience including designing and implementing development programs in Africa;
• Proven knowledge of the investment process in IFC, through working with investment teams or completion of the credit course
• Self-starter, mature and flexible personality; able to work in a multicultural, fast-paced team environment;
• A team player with outstanding people management skills, ability to work with colleagues from different teams who are not reporting to him/her and achieve outstanding results while meeting tight deadline and maintaining strong client service orientation;
• Strong analytical and presentation skills working with data using standard office software Excel, Word, Powerpoint – Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and French essential.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

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