GIZ Nigeria & ECOWAS Commission are hiring Junior Access to Finance Advisor
Background
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.
GIZ has been operational in Nigeria since 1974, maintaining a country office in Abuja since 2004.
Across its portfolio, GIZ supports programmes on sustainable economic development, climate and energy, governance, peace and security, and health systems strengthening.
Value Chains for Agriculture, Climate and Employment (VACE)
The Value Chains for Agriculture, Climate and Employment (VACE) project, co-financed by the European Union and the BMZ seeks to improve sustainable rural economic development by promoting specific agricultural clusters in selected "transition" states in Nigeria.
- The aim is to increase agricultural production, create lucrative employment opportunities and increase the incomes of the rural population thus contributing to food security and strengthening the resilience of the population to external shocks, and at the same time makes an important contribution to the effective transformation of the Nigerian agricultural sector.
- Project activities support existing enterprises to improve the quality and yield of production and subsequent processing and generate opportunities for new businesses to emerge that will lead to sustainable outcomes in the rural and blue economy.
- Inclusive development principles ensure responsible approaches to social and environmental sustainability with a focus on the adoption of practices that are resilient to climate change and which improve biodiversity, and combat desertification and deforestation.
- Improved opportunities for employment, particularly for women and vulnerable groups, are created at all stages of the value chains with a commitment to develop processing facilities reflecting EU standards in decent work and product quality to improve export opportunities.
Responsibilities
- The Junior Access to Finance Advisor will be responsible for identifying and creating partnerships to facilitate investment and fundings from various sources (impact investment, blended capital, venture capital, franchising, DFIs, etc.), organise matchmaking events between project beneficiaries and investors to generate funding, and facilitate the setting up of VSLAs.
Tasks
Facilitate Investments: Support the identification and resolution of obstacles to accessing finance for actors in the targeted value chains.
Organize Roundtables: Conduct discussions on improving access to finance for farmers and producers in collaboration with relevant government agencies.
- Build Partnerships: Identify and establish partnerships with public and private institutions to enhance capital flow for smallholder farmers and Agri SMEs.
- Coordinate with Stakeholders: Collaborate with other development programs to develop solutions for identified market constraints and harmonize approaches to agricultural financing and contribute to stakeholder dialogue programmes to create awareness about financing/investment opportunities in the selected VCs
- Support Financial Products Development: Assist financial institutions in developing/adapting appropriate financial instruments and accessing flexible pools of capital.
- Conduct Financial Needs Assessments: Analyze the financial needs of project beneficiaries and connect them with suitable investment opportunities.
- Engage Investors: Support investor engagement and facilitate due diligence for suitable agribusinesses.
- Organise deal/matchmaking event: Assisst in organizing deal room and matchmaking events to facilitate investor-investee engagement for capital flow.
- Develop Investment Proposals: Assist MSMEs in creating investable financing and investment proposals.
- Reporting: Prepare reports and documents on activities related to access to finance and investment.
- Setting up of Saving Groups: Support the establishment /strengthening of Village Savings and Loans Groups (VSLA) across the project’s VCs and States
- Knowledge Sharing: Participate in knowledge exchange programs within the agriculture cluster and other GIZ programs.
- Support the development of work plans, budgets and reports.
- Assist with communication and knowledge management activities of the project.
- Perform other work-related duties as needed.
Required Qualifications, Competences & Experience
Qualifications:
A minimum of Bachelor's degree in Investment, Finance, Business Administration, Entrepreneurship Development or any related field from a reputable institution.
- Not more than 3 years of experience in the financial sector and/or in supporting smallholder farmers (SHFs) and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to access finance or investment.
- Proven experience in investment facilitation and matchmaking would be an added advantage.
Professional Experience:
Basic Investment Facilitation Skills: Familiarity with investment facilitation and matchmaking processes.
- Demonstrated experience and success in supporting and advising MSMEs in fundraising for equity investment and debt financing.
- Demonstrated experience in analyzing the financial needs of businesses and matching them with the respective available suitable sources of funds.
- Good knowledge and understanding of the workings of impact investing, philanthropy, innovative finance and Venture Capital/Private Equity funds, Government/MDAs and the MSME sector in Nigeria.
Other Knowledge and Competences:
Strong interpersonal relationship and collaboration skills within the team and with external stakeholders.
- Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English.
- Additional Nigerian languages would be an added advantage.
- Excellent team spirit and networking capacity.
- Strong awareness and passion on gender and other inclusivity considerations.
Note:
- The position will initially be based in Abuja, with a high likelihood of relocation to Abeokuta.
Minimum Qualification
- A minimum of Bachelors degree in Investment, Finance, Business Administration, Entrepreneurship Development or any related field from a reputable institution.
Salary band:
- According to the GIZ Salary Band 3
Location: Abuja
Deadline: 2 October 2026
Job number: JP-202609-6669
Job Title: Junior Access to Finance Advisor
How to Apply
Interested applicant can apply via this link
