The 2SCALE program, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, is one of the most innovative incubator programs for inclusive agribusiness in sub-Saharan Africa.

2SCALE (www.2scale.org) develops a portfolio of partnerships in eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana,  Kenya, Mali, Niger and Nigeria). These partnerships aim to promote inclusive business in agriculture, through support to value chain development, agribusiness cluster formation and enabling business environments. The program partners with national and multinational agri-food companies as drivers to increase smallholder farmer productivity and efficiency within selected value chains. Specific attention is given to job creation (including for youth), women entrepreneurship and “base of the pyramid” (BoP) consumers and producers.

Position Summary

2SCALE aims to both inform and involve all its program partners (smallholder producers, food processing companies and others), donors, embassies and interested professionals in agribusiness. The Communication Officer will be responsible for developing stories and content from program activities in close collaboration with 2SCALE colleagues. 

Tasks

• Develop and disseminate a regular stream of communication materials, documenting program progress and achievements in 2SCALE program countries. These may include, but are not limited to:
  • Stories from the field (success stories, case studies, etc.)
  • Social media updates
  • Project briefs
  • Fact sheets 
  • Photographs
  • Videos
• Identify, in consultation with the rest of the 2SCALE Communication Team, the most appropriate channels (print, web, social media, others) to target each stakeholder group.
• Provide regular updates and stories for the quarterly 2SCALE Enewsletter.
• Maintain and continuously expand the program’s contact database.
• Contribute, in close collaboration with the Communication Manager and Program Director, the compilation and editing of material for the 2SCALE annual report.
• Develop linkages with relevant knowledge/information-sharing platforms within and beyond the 2SCALE countries, to raise the program’s profile globally.
• Build a collection of high-quality photographs on 2SCALE work in the relevant countries, taking photographs herself/himself and identifying, contracting and supervising consultants (where necessary). 
• Develop good working relationships with key media in all target countries.
• Develop and exploit synergies with communications staff from the 2SCALE consortium partners (IFDC, SNV & BoPInc).
• Coordinate the visualization, scripting and production of short videos on 2SCALE within program countries.
• Any other assignment that the supervisor deems necessary for the success of the program.

Position and duty station

The Communication Officer is a national position with a duty station in one of our four 2SCALE anglophone countries, depending on the residence of the candidate: Kenya (Nairobi), Ethiopia (Addis Ababa), Ghana (Accra) or Nigeria (Abuja). Note there will also be frequent travel to a selection of our program countries.

Supervision

The Communication Officer will work under the supervision of the Program Director of 2SCALE. She/ he will work in close consultation with 2SCALE’s Communication Manager, as part of a Communication Team that will also include an additional Communication Officer (who is based in Bamako, Mali).

Required Skills

Essential

• Relevant education, at least a Bachelor degree in a relevant discipline such as media, journalism or communication studies. 
• Native English speaker, talented writer with strong editing skills. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to operate effectively in an environment with multiple stakeholders and people from different cultures and backgrounds.
• Able to think creatively about the use of digital and visual communication.
• Experience in managing and building a brand's social media presence.

Desirable

• French language fluency, written and verbal.
• Intermediate graphic design skills.
• Basic GIS mapping skills and experience.

Required Experience

• At least three years of working experience in the field of communication
• Strong affinity with agribusiness development and food security.

Contract duration

IFDC will propose a first contract ending on December 31, 2020.

Based on the incumbent’s performance, availability of funds and program needs, the contract could then be extended or renewed.