Access to Finance Specialist

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an International Financial Institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation. The East and Southern Africa Division (ESA) covers 22 countries. The drive towards aid effectiveness and harmonization and support that is given to Joint Assistance Strategies, and the One UN initiative is an important focus of the Division’s work. IFAD’s goal in the regions is to enable rural poor people to gain the skills, knowledge, organization and build assets that they need to take full advantage of markets and economic opportunities, engage with service providers, and participate in local development processes. Focus is increasingly being put on catalysing private investment, creating employment opportunities for rural youth and adapting to climate change. The IFAD Country Office (ICO) in Rwanda is instrumental to achieving IFAD’s Mission to “be an effective and recognized partner for rural poverty al-levitation” in line with its Vision “to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger” in Rwanda.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)’s Rwanda portfolio comprises four sovereign projects and four non-sovereign operations (NSOs) in the pipeline, aimed at enhancing productivity, climate resilience, market access, and inclusive financing. The Kayonza Irrigation and Integrated Watershed Management Project Phase 2 (KIIWP2) expands irrigation, watershed management, and farm business development in drought-prone Kayonza. The Project for Resilient and Inclusive Small Livestock Markets (PRISM) strengthens climate-smart small livestock systems in 15 districts. The Rwanda Dairy Development Project Phase 2 (RDDP2) transforms the dairy sector through productivity, value-chain efficiency, and climate mitigation. The Programme to Support Agricultural Commercialisation (PSAC) supports climate-resilient, export-driven value chains through improved production, infrastructure, and market linkages. The non-sovereign operations (NSOs) which are all at start-up phase complement these efforts: i) the Africa Rural Climate-Adaptation Finance Mechanism (ARCAFIM) scales climate-adaptation finance; ii) Agricultural Development Company (AgDevCo) provides long-term capital to agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises; and iii) the Farmers’ Organization Financing Program - Rwanda (FOFP-R) expands blended finance for farmer organisations. Together, they leverage private capital, strengthen cooperatives, and reinforce sovereign project outcomes

Under the direct supervision of the Country Director, the UN Volunteer will provide technical assistance, advisory services, and mentoring to strengthen financial inclusion and rural finance systems across Special Project Implementation Unit (SPIU)-managed projects. Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Support project implementation and supervision through the preparation of, participation in, and reporting on International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-led implementation support and supervision missions of active projects. This entails contributions to the development of mission terms of reference (ToRs), supporting assessment of selected project components, drafting of report sections, and discussing mission reports with IFAD internal reviewers.
• Act as a focal point for Access to Finance and Private Sector engagement by reviewing and strengthening project financial inclusion strategies, ensuring alignment with IFAD and government fiduciary requirements, and supporting the generation of loan pipelines from within IFAD-supported projects for the partner financing institutions.
• Review country programmes' Annual Work Plans, Budgets, and Procurement Plans.
• Monitor execution of Country Programme implementation and compliance with key performance indicators/parameters.
• Support compliance of projects and country programmes with IFAD corporate-level policies, such as the Operational Results Management System (ORMS), Annual reviews, Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) Review, Mid-Term Reviews (MTRs), etc.
• Provide tailored implementation support to projects between missions, follow up on agreed actions from supervision missions, and discuss with the project management teams how to address issues and shortcomings in a timely manner.
• Work closely with the Country Director on country strategic aspects, such as reporting on IFAD contributions to the national UN framework and its objectives, engagement in donor/sector working groups (especially in line with your specialization), and support portfolio-level reflection in line with valid IFAD country strategies.
• In line with your skill set and the portfolio needs, strengthen thematic partnerships with relevant donor agencies, the private sector, and academia, to introduce required skills, knowledge, assistance, and co-investment into the portfolio.
• Support the daily operational work of project management by reviewing project requests as appropriate and in line with your background and experience.
• Support the knowledge agenda by generating technical inputs (papers, posters, blog posts) to showcase lessons from the portfolio.
• Support cross-country learning within the region through technical presentations and appropriate communication of findings from missions/project analysis.
• Support project design as required and appropriate; this entails contributing to the process of project design documentation, participating in design missions, and following up with government and other stakeholders on relevant communications/documentation.
• Support and co-lead project completion and ensure appropriate reporting on project achievements toward set development objectives in line with IFAD and government requirements.
• Support preparation of senior management visits to the country and potentially participate.
• Support thematic events and workshops and participate in, and potentially co-lead, sessions.
• Support reporting on events in appropriate channels within IFAD.