Overview

Under the general direction of the Secretary General of the Interafrican Coffee Organisation (IACO) and the African Coffee Research network (ACRN) and in liaison with the National Coffee Boards, National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), Sub-Regional Organizations for Southern, Eastern, Central Africa and International Intergovernmental Organizations as well as the Programmes Adviser for African Forum, the incumbent will serve as a team leader in initiatives to strengthen progress towards implementations of coffee promotion and development programmes. These programmes include 2000 Millennium Development Goals and World Summit on sustainable Development, focusing on Poverty Reduction, agricultural reforms and improvement of livelihoods of poor coffee farmers in Africa.

Vision / Mandate

To achieve the mission and objectives of the Interafrican Coffee Organization, the incumbent will serve in this Organisation by providing acquired experience as well as technical and intellectual (input), backstopping administrative service in the division of research and rural development, applying experience in formulation and analysis of agricultural investment regional projects and programmes.

Activities

Depending on the Programme of Work and the Budget (PWB, and the IACO/ACRN Five Year Development Programmes, the incumbent will:

• as ACRN Coordinator and Director of Research and Development, collaborate with the Sub-regional organisations; the Member Countries 25 Coffee Boards in West, East and Central Africa and the 20 NARS (Institutions), identify, collect and analyse research priorities; enhance resource management in context of coffee cropping systems, breeding, coffee pests and diseases control, environment management and overall development of coffee industry;
• resourcefully contribute to the development of awareness in restructured coffee boards, NARS and extension service in context of issues related to coffee liberalization, privatization and globalization in trade and marketing of agricultural commodities as well as overall future reforms;
• facilitate and organise Annual General Meetings, Technical Coordinating Committee Meetings, Workshops, Training of Trainers and Seminars; have confidence to prepare concise reports or papers; carry out appraisals and pre-appraisal and overall project development procedures, leading to approval and funding;
• aggressively promote project development funds with multilateral financial organizations (donors), work with different institutions such as ADB, AFREXIMBANK, NEPAD, CFC, EU, UN/FAO, IFAD, USAID, CTA, World Bank, AU Commission, ECOWAS, COMESA and FARA; and enhance work plans and maintain effective partnership for regional integration and cooperation in the Sub-Saharan Africa Region in terms of extensive project development missions in Western, Central and Eastern Africa;
• focus on capacity building through a strong and cohesive team approach with the objectives of creating conducive working environment; contribute to planning, organising and developing or presenting a coherent project activities; implement five to ten regional collaborative coffee quality as well as agricultural value added products; and follow-ups (project tracking) in current national, sub-regional, regional and international formulated project folios; and
• perform other related duties and assignments as required.