Private Sector Engagement Officer at Lutheran World Relief, Nigeria

Lutheran World Relief (LWR), Nigeria is implementing a food for Progress Program to launch a cocoa productivity and marketing project in Nigeria Known as, the Traceability and Resilience in Agriculture and Cocoa Ecosystems of Nigeria (TRACE) under the sponsorship of USDA. The five-year project is to increases productivity in the cocoa value chain by applying climate smart agriculture and expands the cocoamarket through traceability back to its source.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Private Sector Engagement Officer

Location: Cross River
Employment Type: Full-time

Scope of Work (SOW)
Objectives:

• A Private Sector Engagement Officer is to support TRACE's smallholder farmers, intermediaries, cooperative, private sector partners, and micro, small, and medium enterprise development activities. He will report directly to the Project Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP) and work closely with the project team to ensure the successful implementation of the project and achieve the desired outcomes.
• His main focus will be to develop a finance strategy to leverage public funding and private funding to catalyze credit from financial and microfinance, and government schemes to cocoa farmers, cocoa-related SMEs, intermediaries, and cooperatives. They will facilitate the selection of products that are available and can be tailored to meet the needs of project participants in targeted States, including Ondo, Cross River, Osun, Ekiti, Abia, and Akwa Ibom.
• He will also facilitate the design of a suitable model and risk sharing with selected bank institutions for the disbursement of the project's revolving loans to support project intermediaries engaging in agro-dealer and input supplies. They will facilitate links with the agro-input companies and build the capacity of over 300 intermediaries on business skills using the business canvas model to provide agro-dealers and input supplies services to cocoa farmers and cooperatives.
• Additionally, he will work with the State governments in the target States to support or initiate cocoa policy dialogue or any relevant initiatives on cocoa traceability and combatting cocoa-driven deforestation. They will also support the project team in designing and implementing capacity-building activities, workshops, and Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) training programs to enhance the knowledge and skills of VSLA cooperative members to access financial services.
• The candidate will conduct training for at least 600 Producer Enterprise Agents (PEAs) in the VSLA methodology, facilitate and support 600 VSLA groups effectively and sustainably manage and provide financial services to their members, troubleshoot potential issues in integrating youth into private sector partner supply chains and distribution systems, and identify and analyze youth-friendly financial products available through local financial institutions that can be leveraged.
• Moreover, he will support the project team in designing and implementing capacity-building activities, workshops, and training programs to enhance the knowledge and skills of financial stakeholders in digital financial services. Monitors and evaluate the progress of the assignment, identify any issues or challenges, and propose corrective actions as necessary.
• Prepare regular progress reports for the assignment weekly and monthly), presentations, and other deliverables to update the project team and stakeholders on the status and achievements.
• Also facilitate leveraging of resources in kind or cash as an investment in TRACE project beneficiaries, carry out additional complementary tasks as reasonably requested by the TRACE DCoP and team. Will identify recommend trainings and/or challenges the TRACE project team needs to be aware of.

Application Closing Date
16th April, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.