Programme Manager – Investing In Women At Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund

About Us

The AECF is a leading development funder that supports early-stage and growth-stage businesses to innovate, create jobs, and leverage investments to build resilience and sustainable incomes for rural and marginalized communities in Africa.

AECF’s goal is to bridge the investment gap between early-stage enterprise and business maturity for entrepreneurs serving the poorest communities. We provide patient capital (grants and repayable grants) to new and innovative business models in the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors across Sub-Saharan Africa. To supplement finance, we offer technical assistance, investments readiness, and investments facilitation services.

AECF has successfully implemented programmes across 26 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, supporting over 400 enterprises, and raising US$ 440 million in funding for programmes, that have created over 27,000 jobs and impacted more than 30 million lives.

AECF is headquartered in Kenya, with offices in Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania.

The Programme

Investing in Women in Benin – Burkina Faso (IIW-Benin- Burkina Faso) is a six-year integrated investment initiative intended to support female entrepreneurship and in value chains where women predominate principally in climate-smart agriculture by increasing investment in innovative and climate-smart solutions, thereby increasing their economic resilience in a changing climate. It will address systemic challenges facing women around access to finance, technical and business competence, inequality, impacts of climate change, and discriminatory gender norms whilst leading to sustained increased incomes for resource-constrained women farmers by providing- grant financing through direct investment grants to women-owned or led SMEs and women’s co-operatives and grants to stimulate loans to women from financial institutions.

The provision of matched grant funding will enable women to expand their business operations in ways they could not otherwise do because of the lack of access to the formal financing system. Technical assistance to women-owned or led SMEs and women’s co-operatives is an essential complementary component to finance, addressing low levels of business knowledge and capacity as well as the introduction of innovative concepts such as climate-smart agriculture. IIW-Benin – Burkina Faso will offer demand-driven market system-based and climate-smart solutions and will be managed by a team operating in both Benin – Burkina Faso with a range of partners.

The Role

The Programme Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of the IIW-Benin – Burkina Faso programme work plan, including direct supervision of up to six programme staff based in offices to be established in both Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso or in Cotonou, Benin. The Programme Manager will coordinate between AECF teams, relevant regional and national government institutions, partner organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure the goals and milestones of the programme are realized. The position holder will lead on the technical delivery of the project and field operations support – as well as be the principal contact for all stakeholders. The position holder will be based either in Benin or in Burkina Faso and will be expected to travel to the other country regularly to visit staff and the various programme stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

• Take the lead in setting up programme offices, team management and prudent execution of the programme activities in line with the approved proposal and budget, including all aspects of programme reporting to the donor.
• Oversee the contracting of investee companies, micro finance institutions and associations, carry out ongoing management of selected companies to achieve programme goals.
• Lead the planning and execution – together with external consultants – of the detailed market assessment and gender-focused value chain analysis that will underpin the design of the programme including assessing the potential for synergies and partnership strategies with other programmes and agencies, i.e., women’s rights organizations, Community Based Organisations, training providers, etc.
• Lead planning and execution of the IIW-Benin – Burkina Faso programme including overseeing the competition/challenge process, identifying, and shortlisting potential investible businesses and associations; conducting and coordinating operational, financial, and strategic due diligence reviews, and preparing investment memos.
• Identify and liaise with women’s rights organisations and drive the fulfilment of the policy and advocacy agenda of the programme, including engaging with decision-makers, male champions and other political and cultural stakeholders for women’s engagement in markets.
• Plan and use resources (people and/or finance and/or physical assets) in accordance with AECF guidelines and delegated accountability so that objectives are achieved in the most efficient and effective manner possible.
• Coordinate capacity needs assessments for the design of technical assistance and business development service products and monitor delivery of the same.
• Undertake the capacity needs assessment (technical, financial, equipment, knowledge, etc.) of the investees and work with the Enterprise Development Team on appropriate interventions.
• Maintain productive working relationships and linkages with donors, and other development partner organizations, international organizations, government departments, private sector partners, sector leaders, etc.
• Lead business development and fundraising activities to increase AECF presence and impact in Benin, Burkina and in the region. Collaborate with the AECF Partnerships team to build visibility in the region for the IIW programme and develop strategic partnerships with funders and implementing partners.
• Working with the AECF Impact team, develop and maintain results measurement plans ensuring they align with the programme objectives and theory of change.
• Ensure compliance with internal controls and integration of AECF’s enterprise-wide risk framework into the IIW-Benin – Burkina Faso programme.
• Represent AECF in relevant activities with key stakeholders in Benin and Burkina Faso.

Suitable candidates should:

Hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in business, finance, economics, agriculture, sustainable development, or a related field.

• Have at least seven (7) years of experience in private sector development, sustainable finance, strengthening value chains or economic diversification industries.
• Be a recognized thought leader in gender equality and/or gender lens investing in the region and have a proven track record working with SMEs. Experience working with women-owned and managed enterprises will be essential.
• Have the ability and demonstrate experience in designing and appraising inclusive business cases.
• Have a demonstrated track record in project management, specifically in project planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and financial management for large-scale donor-funded projects.
• Have experience managing gender-responsive programmes/investments and an extensive regional network with institutions and advocates working to promote women.
• Be fluent in English and French.
• Have excellent analytical and communication skills with the ability to prepare reports to a high level of proficiency.
• Have excellent interpersonal skills including a strong work ethic, impeccable integrity, and judgment.