Junior Advisor, Gender and Civil Society Engagement in Agriculture at GIZ Nigeria

International cooperation between Germany and Nigeria commenced in 1974. GIZ was initially represented by an office in Lagos until 2003, but since 2004 it has maintained a country office and four project offices in the new capital Abuja. At present, GIZ has around 25 seconded staff, 100 Nigerian and regional experts, and four CIM experts working in Nigeria.

Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and has a population of 175 million, making it the continent’s most populous country. With a young, highly motivated and growing population, abundant natural resources and an increasingly diversified economy, Nigeria is not only a regional power but also an increasingly significant political player on the African continent and in the world. However, Nigeria faces major challenges. So far, its substantial oil revenues have had little impact on poverty. More than two-thirds of the population still live in extreme poverty and unemployment remains high. Sustainable economic and social development is hampered by corruption and by regional, ethnic, religious and social differences and the associated conflicts, which sometimes lead to attacks and unrest.

As agreed between the Nigerian and German Governments, GIZ’s activities since 2002 have focused on sustainable economic development. GIZ is also engaged in the energy sector, agriculture and regional integration.

The ‘Pro-poor Growth and Employment Promotion in Nigeria’ (SEDIN) programme aims to increase income-generating employment in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and improve access to financial services. The programme is currently being implemented in Abuja and in Niger, Ogun and Plateau states.

The Nigerian and German Governments also cooperate in the energy sector. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ provides advisory services to Nigerian partners on topics such as rural electrification, energy efficiency and renewable energies, and is contributing to the success of the Nigeria-German Energy Partnership (NGEP) as well.

GIZ provides support to the ECOWAS Commission (Economic Community of West African States) in Abuja, focusing on the management, implementation and monitoring of ECOWAS decisions on economic and trade policy, and peace and security.

In addition, two regional programmes focusing on agriculture are under way in Nigeria. The first aims to promote African rice value chains; the second builds the capacities of market-oriented small-scale farming. The purpose of both programmes is to achieve sustainable improvements in the livelihoods and food security of poor farmers in Nigeria and other West African countries.

A distinctive feature of GIZ’s activities in Nigeria is the high level of cofinancing obtained from other sources, primarily the European Union (EU) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These additional funds make it possible to broaden the scope and intensity of the programmes being implemented on behalf of the BMZ, boosting the effectiveness of German development cooperation with Nigeria.Background
GIZ Solutions that work:

As a service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education work, we are dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world.
GIZ has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment promotion, energy and the environment, and peace and security.
The diverse expertise of our federal enterprise is in demand around the globe – from the German government, European union institutions, the United Nations, the private sector, and governments of other countries. We work with businesses, civil society actors and research institutions, fostering successful interaction between development policy and other policy fields and areas of activity.
Our main commissioning party is the German federal ministry for economic cooperation and development (BMZ). The registered offices of GIZ are in Bonn and Eschborn. Our approximately 23,500 employees, almost 70 percent of whom are national personnel, work in around 120 countries (July 2020)
GIZ has worked in Nigeria since 1974. Since 2004, GIZ has maintained a country office in the capital city Abuja. Currently 466 national and 63 international employees, 37 regional staff, 4 integrated specialists and 3 development workers are working in the country (January 2025).

The project
The global project "Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Agricultural Policy" (GV AgSys):

The global project "Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Agricultural Policy" (GV AgSys) supports partner countries in transformation processes towards sustainable agricultural systems.
AgSys' vision for transformation is based on the understanding that current agricultural practices are not fit to feed a growing population with a nutritious diet while respecting planetary boundaries. Agri-food systems that feed people well and do not overuse natural resources, require a transformation of current practices and frameworks.
At the country level, AgSys takes up and strengthens previous innovations and partnerships of the German and international development cooperation and complements them by policy advice at the state and federal level.
At the global level, the country contributions are connected to regional exchange formats and supported by advisory inputs from global knowledge hubs.
In this way, reform approaches in the partner countries are linked to global agendas and their feasibility is improved.
The country measure of AgSys is part of a cluster of eight other GIZ projects, intervening at different levels of the Nigerian and ECOWAS agri-food system to improve the competitiveness of agri-businesses in selected value chains, develop climate-smart innovations and improve access to finance for small agricultural producers and agri-businesses and thus contribute to the transformation of the Nigerian agri-food systems.
The global project "Farmer Organizations for the Transformation of Agricultural and Food Systems" strengthens the participation of these organizations in regional and global forums. Their knowledge contributes to shaping systems in a fair and sustainable way.

Responsibilities and Tasks
The Junior Advisor provides support for:

The Gender and Advocacy Advisor in the planning and implementation of gender-related activities of the AgSys project output 3 and 5 on civil society engagement.
The monitoring and technical implementation of project activities under the global FO HUB West programme, with supervision from the Gender and Advocacy Advisor.
Carrying out specific tasks in connection with gender, civil society engagement and knowledge management for AgSys and FO Hub West.
The project managers in carrying out project activities in Nigeria and other locations as required.
Supporting the management of an international grant agreement with a non-governmental farmer organisation.
Supporting FO HUB West's communication and public relations activities with the guidance of the Advisor.

Tasks

Coordination and monitoring.
The Junior Advisor:

Assists in planning and implementing activities of AgSys output 3 "Involvement of civil society/change agents in the transformation of agri-food systems", FO HUB West programme in western Africa according to the project proposals and orientations from the advisor and project managers, as well as in cooperation with the project's implementation partners.
Puts together an overview of project activities, deadlines, etc. and presents this regularly at team meetings.
Supports project monitoring and updates information on project progress, documents and reports regularly on the status of results

Support internal team processes on planning, coordinating and documenting meetings, workshops, seminars, results and other project activities with a focus on technical aspects.
Assists with the design, rollout, and tracking of FO Hub initiatives, including stakeholder mapping and communication.
Coordination of Gender-related interventions:

Assists the Gender and Advocacy advisor in the role as gender- focal person of the project and as such represents the project in gender-related working groups at the steering unit, with other country measures, in the cluster and at the GIZ country office in the absence of the advisor and as advised for both projects.
Support the implementation of gender- and inclusion sensitive activities, ensuring that the voice of women and youth is represented in the planning and steering of AgSys and FO HUB West.

Networking and cooperation with civil society organisations

Assists in steering a grant agreement with a non-governmental organisation within the region.
Assists with translation and facilitating communication between farmer organisations, civil society organisations and GIZ.
Assists in connecting CSOs and farmer organisations to national, regional and global initiatives for the transformation of agri-food systems in cooperation with the project's implementation partners for AgSys and FO HUB.
Work closely with project staff and partners from AgSys and FO HUB to ensure that CSO express their interests and agendas in the formulation of transformative agricultural policies, agenda and forums.
Supports cooperation, regular contact and dialogue with partners, relevant organisations, non-governmental agencies and individuals in the project/programme environment and with other projects to improve and maintain good working relationships.

Knowledge management

The Junior Advisor

Assists in drawing up reports and translations
Assists in communicating, updating and collecting information on activities and results of the project.
Assist in ensuring properly updated and organised documentation on GIZ IDA, MS Teams, SharePoint, etc

General obligations

The Junior Advisor

Is familiar with GIZ planning, implementation and reporting
procedures and their changes.
Is familiar with other programme components and GIZ-assisted measures, concepts and status of implementation and knows the corresponding experts and staff.
Represents the interest of the GIZ-assisted measures and always acts on its behalf.
Carries out important tasks for the project, even if these are not explicitly cited in the job description.

Other duties/additional tasks The Junior Advisor

Performs other duties and tasks at the requests of the technical and administrative management.
Participates in working groups and other collaborative efforts at cluster level and with the project's steering unit.

Required qualifications, competence and experience.
Qualifications:

University degree in Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, Business Administration, Social Sciences, Communication, Gender Studies or closely related field.

Professional experience:

Not more than 3 years' professional experience in a comparable position.
Experience with partner management and coordination nationally and within west Africa.
Proven experience in working with NGOs, CSOs or similar networks is desirable.
Proven experience in implementing, monitoring and reporting project activities (such as workshops, events, studies etc.) in the context of international development.

Other knowledge, additional competences:

Excellent communication and networking skills.
Awareness and passion for civil society, farmer-based
organisations, gender and inclusion-related topics.
Excellent organizational and prioritization skills as well as the ability to multi-task.
Fluent written and oral knowledge of French and English
Capacity and willingness to increase knowledge on GIZ's rules and procedures and apply them independently in procurement and other processes.
Willingness and availability for regular duty trips in Nigeria and internationally.
Strong writing and communication skills, with excellent working knowledge in MS Office and digital collaboration tools.
Ability to work independently and as part of a multicultural team. Experience with event planning, stakeholder coordination, and documentation is an advantage.
Willingness to learn in a highly independent manner and deepen technical knowledge on civil society engagements with the agri- food systems transformation nationally and regionally.

Salary
According to GIZ salary scale for Band 3