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
Selection Criteria
World Bank Group Core Competencies
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