Trade and Market Access Officer at Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Main purpose of job:

The UK government has radically expanded its presence in Africa. This role is part of that uplift – the most significant and long-term increase in HMG staff across the continent in a generation – and offers applicants the opportunity to help shape this new, long-term UK partnership for prosperity and stability with Africa.

You will join the Department for International Trade’s Africa network. This is an exciting time to join, as we expand our resources and ambition to deliver on the objectives set out by the UK government. This role will provide crucial leadership and expertise to enable the expansion and help HMG deliver its sustainable development and poverty reduction objectives in Africa through the reduction of market access barriers .

Ghana is one of the largest economies within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Its economy has grown rapidly in the past years, with an estimated 8.2% GSP growth rate in 2017/18 according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The UK is already one of Ghana’s top trading partners and sources of invesments. Ghana is the UK’s fifth largest export destination in Sub-Sharan Africa.

DIT work at post is closely integrated with other departments, working as part of the EDIT (Economic Development, Trade & Investment) virtual team with FCO and DFID colleagues. The work of EDIT drives forward our economic partnership with Ghana, which is focused on six key sectors (agro-processing, extractives, digital, pharma, financial services and garments/textiles) and three overarching themes (ease of doing business, infrastructure and revenue mobilisation). You will feed in expert opinion to the development and implementation of action plans in each area, and help to maximise their impact. Every six months, EDIT helps to organise the UK-Ghana Business Council, a high-level ministerial meeting designed to accelerate progress on economic development, trade & investment and job creation.

The position will work to increase the overall value of UK (and other countries’) trade and investment to Ghana by tackling barriers faced by business seeking to access the Ghanaian market. In the shorter term this will also include any barriers that are introduced in response to the COVID-19 crisis. You will report to the DIT Deputy Country Director, with support from the trade policy lead and sector leads in country and in London. You will assist cross government efforts to position the UK as Ghana’s partner of choice as it seeks to “move beyond aid”, in part by increasing trade and investment and thereby contributing to sustainable development and poverty reduction. The latter being your primary objective in a post which is funded by Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Roles and responsibilities:

1. Outreach to exporters, importers and investors to monitor and identify the challenges faced by companies trying to access the Ghanaian market (e.g. local content requirements, customs clearance procedures, intellectual property issues, etc). Understand the scale and impact of those barriers, especially from an inclusive growth and sustainable development perspective (as well as specific commercial opportunities identified by DIT) and understand the Government of Ghana’s motivations for introducing them.
2. Develop and manage HMG’s political response to these challenges by working with colleagues in DIT, the FCO and DFID. Prioritise barriers and devise strategies to overcome them through a mixture of different instruments (lobbying, technical assistance, high level interventions, etc).
3. Feed into centrally run systems aiming to bring coherence into DIT’s work into Market Access barriers (the Digital Market Access Service) and ongoing Ministerial-level dialogue on Economic Development between the UK and Ghana. This includes using the Digital Market Access Service in Ghana to recognise the top 10 barriers faced by UK business when exporting/investing into the Ghanaian market, through uploading newly identified barriers, update with progress on resolution, working closely with the DIT Market Access colleagues and analysts in London to aid the resolution and in the longer-term prioritisation of the barriers in terms of their economic and strategic value.
4. Develop networks with key partners to get a deeper understanding of Ghana’s regulatory bodies having a bearing on trade and investment. Partners will include:

• Relevant government ministries
• Ghanaian businesses and international firms operating in Ghana
• Academic institutions
• Business organisations.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience 

• Undergraduate degree in economics, commercial law, or related fields.
• At least three years professional work experience – preferably with exposure to policymaking.
• Proven analytical skills, ability to understand and communicate complex policy issues effectively to non-specialist audiences.
• Excellent collaboration skills, including the ability to work with colleagues in other departments.
• Knowledge of, and a keen interest in, sustainable development.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience 

• Postgraduate degree or professional qualification in, economics, commercial law, or related fields.
• Experience of policy-making, particularly in trade policy or economic policy-related fields.

Required competencies 

Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Collaborating and Partnering, Delivering at Pace