Business and Local Private Promotion Specialist at ECOREF : Deadline: Nov 22, 2021

Job description

Key roles and responsibilities

-Provide guidance with regard to the strategic direction of Local Business Development to ensure the efficient delivery of the Business Development Policy objectives and targets. This will include:
-Identification and implementation of strategies to boost businesses in districts to contribute to the creation of vibrant local economies
-Reinforce the public private dialogue in districts in collaboration with the BDE Unit
-Support the entrepreneurship and enterprise creation in districts
-Provide technical guidance to district to translate local economic potentialities into economic projects to generate employment and income.
-Advice and provide technical support to Mini-RIG to initiate and manage their development projects;
-Regularly monitor the operationalization of local business development projects.
Public Private Partnership:
-Participate in preparation of policies and procedures regarding Public Private Partnership (PPP);
-Identification of appropriate PPP for Local Business Development in districts;
-Identification of strategic partners from the public and private sectors, including opportunities to exploit (PPP);
-Ensure that PPP projects are prepared for competitive markets in such a way that all financial and risk components are adequately identified and addressed
-Provide assistance to districts at all stages of a project lifecycle-In the preparation of initial project investment proposals for projects that could be suitable for PPP;
-Ensure studies of PPP projects are adequately conducted and are of good quality;
-Ensure the financing structure of PPP projects is sound
-Assist districts with negotiation and award of the PPP contract and contract management
-Develop standard methodologies for PPP project preparation, negotiation and contract management and to ensure these are applied;
-Assist districts in the approval of PPP projects in accordance with the requirements by providing expert advice on the structuring of the projects and the allocation of risk to the private sector in the review of the feasibility studies;
-Provide training to districts on PPP projects preparation, procurement and management;
-Be responsible for required stakeholder interactions with public and private sector institutions and companies to ensure that PPP projects are well coordinated in collaboration with JADF;
-Formulate incentives to strengthen local businesses and to attract new investors
-Mobilize the local private sector to contribute to and invest in Local Economic Development;
-Propose mechanisms for promoting enterprise start-ups & emerging entrepreneurs;
-Create mechanisms for dialogue and feedback from local investors;
-Conduct value chain analysis for PPP projects and select key value chains and strategies to be upgraded through a participatory process;
-Establish a coaching & mentoring program for entrepreneurs through PPPs;
-Monitor the operationalization of PPP projects.
Effective PPP projects Management:
-Ensure that PPP projects are well conceived and implemented by:
-Ensuring that business development initiatives are well planned by increasing districts’ awareness about sustainability and cost-efficiency in planning of PPP projects;
-Developing manuals and guidelines for business development at all LG sub- levels
-Ensuring high quality of capital investment projects and that feasibility studies are undertaken at the districts;
-Ensuring quality of PPP project profile documents (PPDs) are submitted by the districts to LODA;
-Assessing and evaluating the financial performance of selected PPP projects, identifying and disseminating lessons learned;
-Strengthen PPP project planning and implementation by ensuring that audit recommendations are followed up
-Preparation of medium term and annual coasted implementation plans as part of the national planning and budgeting process and responding to scale up strategies;
-Perform secretarial tasks for the LED Technical Working Group (TWG) in collaboration with the chair;
-Under the direct supervision of the chair of LED TWG, follow up the implementation of recommendations of the LED TWG, technical/policy reviews and suggest to LODA management their implementation modalities by translating them into workable action plans

Institutional Relationships:
-Develop and oversee the institutional arrangements at national and sub-national level necessary to achieve the business development objectives and targets. This will involve:
-Building effective working relationships with relevant government agencies at Province, District, Sector and Village level;
-Assisting the districts in review of the districts development plans;
-Providing capacity building for LCF and BDE Units in local government;
-Follow up on the effectiveness of disbursement procedures and propose if necessary changes in the disbursement procedures and flow to districts;