Investment Advisor – Agriculture at Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Agriculture provides the lifeline for millions of livelihoods in Ghana by offering jobs, food nutrition and a firm foothold for Ghana’s economy. The Government of Ghana (GoG) is committed to increasing productivity and thereby catalysing a structural transformation in the economy through increased rural incomes and job creation. To contribute to this goal, the GoG has initiated two flagship projects: Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), focused on access to inputs, and Planting for Export & Rural Development (PERD), focused on the development of selected export tree crops to enhance the foreign exchange earning capacity of the Ghanaian economy.

In support of these initiatives, and to complement TBI’s embedded technical and analytical support to the Ministry of Food & Agriculture, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and our ongoing partnership with the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), we are now seeking an Investment Advisor, focused on the agriculture sector, and in particular agro-processing. The Advisor will support the government of Ghana with:

1. attracting greenfield investment into agro-processing for export and rural development,
2. supporting established investors in the sector, and
3. securing private funding for strategic flagship projects.

The Advisor will be a member of an evolving TBI team in Ghana. The team consists of experienced advisors providing embedded support at the center of government and to key economic institutions of the government to attract and scale up private investment in priority sectors positioned to generate exports, jobs, and backward linkages. The Advisor will benefit from network effects as part of the Tony Blair Institute’s global presence. He/she will also be a member of TBI’s Inclusive Growth and Private Sector Development practice, through which they will gain from and contribute to the expertise of TBI’s teams across Africa and beyond.

Key Responsibilities:

• Undertake socio-economic analysis of Ghana’s comparative advantage and investment opportunities in the agro-processing sectors, with a view to provide strategic advice and help identify and promote bankable projects.
• Work alongside government counterparts to conduct improved investment promotion and outreach to the agro-processing investment community.
• Support the improved packaging of greenfield and brownfield investment projects
• Identify institutional gaps that need to be addressed to attract investment into the agriculture sector and for improving access to markets for Ghanaian agro-processing products.
• Assist government counterparts in their interactions with international agribusiness investors, with support from the TBI team across the government of Ghana.
• Support government institutions, alongside the wider TBI team in Ghana, to coordinate around attracting and retaining investments in agro-processing. Facilitate problem-solving of investment facilitation issues.
• Where and when requested, work alongside TBI colleagues, government counterparts and partners to undertake key value chain analysis and implementation support and provide linkages to value chain actors including value adding local and international Agro-processors.
• Manage relationships with and provide project update reporting to relevant donors and partners.
• Support the Country Head and other team members with quarterly and annual reporting; strategic and management programmes.

Person Specification:

• We are looking for outstanding individuals with a proven track record of leadership and delivery in the public or private sectors. We seek to create international and multi-disciplinary teams and are looking for individuals with a background in investment banking, investment promotion, agro-processing, public/civil services worldwide; strategy consulting; relevant industry experience; private equity finance; and international development.

Experiences and Qualifications:

• At least 5-10 years of experience working on private sector development and/ or agriculture transformation programmes in emerging markets especially in Sub Saharan Africa and or similar contexts to Ghana, including but not limited to issues related to international trade, investment promotion, commercial agriculture, market linkages and value chain development.
• Experience facilitating and attracting companies to invest in agro-processing in emerging markets for export.
• Experiential knowledge of institutional development and organisational management, including process and system engineering and capacity development. Experience working with senior executives is an asset.
• An MA in International Economics, Public Administration, Business, Finance, Urban Planning or related fields.

Essential Skills:

• Ability to work independently, think strategically and translate strategies into concrete and implementable plans
• Effective inter-personal and leadership skills. Team player with an ability to develop and foster relationships with government and investors
• Excellent writing, presentation skills and verbal communication skills in English
• Understanding of organizational design and accountability mechanisms to reform Government processes
• Proven ability to mentor, coach, and build capacity of national counterparts
• Strong analytical and management skills, including sound knowledge of data analysis, strategic planning, and project management tools

Personal Specifications:

• Ability to deliver results in complex and challenging environments
• Willingness and ability to mentor, coach and build capacity of counterparts
• A creative and entrepreneurial approach to overcoming barriers and making change happen
• Experience of living and working in developing countries is desirable

Above all, we are looking for individuals with high levels of enthusiasm, drive, resilience, a can-do attitude and ability to consistently achieve results in a fast-paced environment