Posted on :
15 Dec, 2022
15 Dec, 2022
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Job Description
Job Title: Programme Associate
UNCDF is bringing its expertise in promoting green and climate-resilient local communities and economies for returnees, youth and women to support job creation in regions of departure, transit and return in Ghana, creating local ecosystems that facilitate the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and enabling the transition of local economies to green and climate resilient development under the “Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana” programme to be funded by the European Union Trust Fund for Africa.
This programme will contribute to addressing the root causes of irregular migration through green and climate-resilient local economic development and improving future prospects of beneficiaries, by creating employment and enterprise opportunities in selected sectors and regions (Ashanti and Western). The action aims at supporting job creation in regions of departure, transit and return of Ghana, creating local financial ecosystems that facilitate the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and enabling the transition of local economies to green and climate-resilient development.
The programme will use the lessons learnt from UNCDF experiences in (i) Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grants (PBCRGs) which support investments for green and resilient local economies as well as (ii) Youth finance which introduces best practices to advance financial inclusion.
The PBCRG provides a country-based mechanism to increase awareness and response to climate change at the local level, integrate climate change adaptation into local government’s planning and budgeting systems in a participatory and gender-sensitive manner, and increase the amount of finance available to local governments for climate change adaptation. The PBCRG is currently being implemented in 14 countries around the world called, the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL). This mechanism combines PBCRGs with technical and capacity-building support. It uses a demonstration effect to trigger further flows for local adaptation, including national fiscal transfers and global climate finance for local authorities, through their central governments. Since its global scale-up in 2014, LoCAL has engaged 99 local governments in 13 countries, representing over 6 million people. Between 2014 and 2017, it delivered close to USD 14.5 million, with grants and technical assistance to countries totalling USD 9.8 million. During the same period, 507 climate change adaptation interventions were finalized across 11 countries using grants, with another 68 under implementation or planned. With the use of the PBCRG approach, UNCDF will support the implementation of Result 1 “Local economies are stimulated and short-term job opportunities for youth, women and returnees are created through green and climate-resilient investments” under the programme.
UNCDF has also developed great expertise in youth finance by bringing access to financial services to nearly 1,000,000 youth in 8 different countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Financial Services Providers (FSPs) participating in the programme mobilized USD 23M in savings and granted USD 66M in loans to 330,700 young entrepreneurs. UNCDF has also worked in Ghana by supporting FSPs to expand access to savings, and particularly, to link informal savings groups to banks and other formal financial institutions. Simultaneously, UNCDF has expanded its support across countries to develop digital financial services for smallholder farmers, women, families with children, pensioners, and micro, small and medium enterprises. These efforts have led to creative approaches to the development of human-centric services and have fostered an innovation ecosystem around financial services. This UNCDF programme approach will be utilized in implementing Results 3 “Increased access and usage of financial services, leveraging remittances and digital solutions, adapted to the needs of (i) youth, women and returnees benefiting from cash for work schemes and (ii) local communities and MSMEs”.
The programme will be implemented in conjunction with SNV, using their model for youth entrepreneurs ‘Opportunities for Youth Employment (OYE) programme’, SNV’s most advanced multi-country programme thus far, which targeted 27,000 rural out-of-school youth in Tanzania, Rwanda and Mozambique. The programme has been implemented in the agriculture and renewable energy sectors. Currently, OYE has become a global SNV product and new OYE projects have started in other countries, such as Mali and Niger, both funded by EUTF.
SNV will support Result 2 “Employability of youth, women and returnees are improved through orientation support and assistance, to transition to skills development, for the benefit of green and climate resilient local economies” and Results 4 “SMEs, offering decent and sustainable jobs to youth, women and returnees, are incubated and/or accelerated and contribute to green and climate resilient local economies” whilst working closely with the two other result areas.
Duties and Responsibilities
management, procurement & operations management, administrative management and project monitoring. He/she will also assist Programme Officers in performing project management and operational duties. The incumbent will work in close collaboration with the operations, programme and project staff in UNCDF Regional Offices and HQ offices to exchange information and ensure excellent and consistent service delivery. The Programme Associate is accountable to the Technical Specialists of UNCDF (Ghana).
Provision of support to programme management
Provision of project finance support
Provision of support to procurement
Support and monitor the implementation of annual procurement plans
Provision of operational support to the office
Provision of administrative support to the office