Job Opportunities at United Kingdom 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 

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Background & Purpose of the Job:

The UK-Africa Investment Summit on 20 January 2020 laid the foundations for new partnerships between the UK and African nations based on trade, investment, shared values and mutual interest. The UK also announced new initiatives and funding which will: strengthen the joint trading relationship, support African countries in their ambition to transform their economies, launch a major new partnership with the city of London, turbo-charge infrastructure financing, and enable Africa’s clean energy potential. Taken together, this will help to realise the UK’s ambition to be the investment partner of choice for Africa. Supporting post COVID-19 economic recovery will be one of the key areas of focus for the UK in Ghana over the next few years, and supporting investment activity will be critical to this.

You will join the Department for International Trade’s Africa network, providing crucial leadership and expertise as part of our expansion. You will be networked closely with colleagues from across HMG working on prosperity issues as DIT can only successfully deliver our commercial ambitions by working seamlessly as part of joint and coordinated prosperity teams alongside the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). This is an exciting time to join DIT Africa, as we expand our resources and ambition to deliver the objectives contained within the DIT Africa Regional Trade Plan.

The UK is committed to being the partner of choice for investment in Ghana by harnessing both government and private-sector led investment and financing opportunities. HMG is working closely with the Government of Ghana to increase ODI, support job creation and Ghana’s ambitious ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda. The UK-Africa Investment Summit has created a significant amount of momentum to drive this work, and the UK-Ghana Business Council will continue to support it.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead an important and ever-expanding area of DIT Ghana’s work.

What will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:

This is a new role and the post holder will lead on DIT’s ODI, investment and project financing work in Ghana, supporting the UK’s ambition to become Ghana’s investor of choice and significantly increase UK investment stock in Ghana. Protecting the interests of UK investors, and supporting greater levels of investment to support post-COVID-19 recovery will be central to this role. We are looking for someone with credible experience in attracting and structuring investments. The role will be cross-sector but with a particular focus on the UK-Ghana Business Council’s six sectors of choice. The post holder will work closely with DFID, FCO and DIT’s Africa Director for Investment to develop a clear UK offer and a pipeline of bankable projects, resulting in a 5% year on year increase of UK investment in Ghana. The role will focus on:

• Developing and leading the execution of a cross-government UK-Ghana investment strategy, with a strong focus on post COVID-19 recovery;
• Working with UK government colleagues and the UK private sector in both London and Ghana to ensure a coherent UK investment offer is developed and communicated effectively;
• Developing and supporting to execution a pipeline of investable projects;
• Develop and maintain a network of key UK investors, including supporting the Africa Investors Group and establishing a Ghana-focused UK investors group;
• Working to develop project financing options for UK companies wishing to export to Ghana;
• Developing and potentially leading UK-led investment support programmes in Ghana.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience 

• 3+ years experience of structuring and facilitating investments in either the private or public sector, ideally on an international basis;
• Strong understanding of project finance options, including public-private partnerships;
• Strong oral and written English communication skills;
• Relevant work experience, a track record of delivery through collaboration and partnering in complex environments;
• Ability to work well under pressure and to tight deadlines;
• Resourcefulness in solving problems;
• Good interpersonal skills and comfortable dealing with senior officials and business people.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience 

• Private sector banking experience;
• Experience working with, or understanding of, green financing options;
• Experience of managing ODA programmes.

Required competencies 

Leading and Communicating, Collaborating and Partnering, Achieving Commercial Outcomes, Managing a Quality Service