The African Capacity Building Foundation is seeking a dynamic and experienced Head of Trade Programs to lead and grow one of its strategic program areas.
This senior leadership role is central to advancing ACBF’s work in trade capacity development, regional integration, AfCFTA implementation, trade facilitation, SME competitiveness, and institutional strengthening for trade-led growth across Africa.
The incumbent will provide strategic and technical leadership for the design, implementation, monitoring and scaling of high-impact trade capacity and institutional strengthening programs. S/he will manage the Trade Programs team, strengthen partnerships with governments, regional and continental institutions, development partners and private-sector actors, and contribute to resource mobilisation to expand ACBF’s trade portfolio.
The role is a fixed-term three-year contract, renewable subject to performance and organisational needs. The position will report to the Director of Programs and Impact and will be based in Accra, Ghana.
This position requires a seasoned professional with strong technical expertise in trade capacity, policy and regional integration, proven program design and leadership experience, and the ability to engage effectively with governments, development partners, private-sector institutions, business associations, research organisations and regional economic communities.
Duties and responsibilities include the following
Strategic Leadership and Programme Delivery
- Provide strategic direction for ACBF’s Trade Programs, ensuring alignment with ACBF’s Strategic Plan and institutional priorities.
- Lead the design, development and implementation of high-impact continental, regional and country-level trade capacity-development initiatives.
- Advance ACBF’s contribution to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area and related regional integration agendas.
- Oversee the implementation, monitoring, quality assurance and reporting of all programs and projects under the Trade Unit.
- Identify emerging trade priorities, capacity gaps and opportunities for ACBF’s strategic engagement across the continent.
- Ensure that trade programs contribute to inclusive growth, private-sector development, SME competitiveness, women and youth economic empowerment, and sustainable enterprise development.
- Promote integrated programming across ACBF’s thematic areas, including trade, economic governance, climate, energy, knowledge management and institutional strengthening.
Partnerships and Business Development
- Build and sustain strategic relationships with governments, the African Union, AfCFTA Secretariat, regional economic communities, development partners, private-sector actors, trade-support institutions, business associations and research organisations.
- Collaborate with ACBF’s Business Development team to mobilize financial and technical resources for program growth and sustainability.
- Lead the preparation of high-quality concept notes, funding proposals and partnership frameworks.
- Position ACBF as a trusted capacity-development partner for trade implementation and institutional strengthening across Africa.
- Identify and pursue opportunities for strategic partnerships, co-financing and joint programming in support of trade-led growth.
- Represent ACBF at high-level forums, conferences, technical dialogues and policy platforms related to trade, regional integration and private-sector development.
Knowledge Management and Policy Influence
- Guide knowledge generation, documentation of lessons learned, and dissemination of good practices in trade capacity development.
- Promote evidence-based programming, policy learning and knowledge exchange across ACBF’s networks and partner institutions.
- Contribute to the development of analytical products, policy briefs, case studies, training materials and knowledge products on trade-related themes.
- Stay abreast of emerging trends, policy developments and opportunities in intra-African trade, global trade dynamics, trade facilitation, industrialisation, digital trade and regional value chains.
- Support the integration of trade-related knowledge products into ACBF’s broader learning platforms, including Ubora Academy and the Knowledge Hub.
Financial and Operational Management
- Lead annual work planning, budgeting, procurement inputs and activity scheduling for the Trade Programs.
- Ensure timely and effective delivery of programme activities in line with approved work plans, budgets, ACBF’s internal policies, procedures and donor agreements.
- Monitor budget utilisation, expenditure performance and implementation risks across trade projects.
- Produce timely and high-quality monthly, quarterly, annual and donor-specific progress reports.
- Identify implementation challenges and propose practical solutions to improve delivery, performance and results.
People Management
- Lead, mentor and supervise staff and consultants assigned to the Trade Programs.
- Foster a collaborative, results-oriented and high-performance team culture.
- Support staff performance management, professional development, coaching and team engagement.
- Promote cross-unit collaboration and effective coordination with other teams within the Programs & Impact Department and across ACBF.
- Maintain a positive and empowering work environment anchored in ACBF’s values.
Qualifications and Experience
- Master’s degree or higher in International Trade, Trade Policy, Economics, Development Economics, International Development, Business Administration, or a related field.
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive professional experience, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership or management role.
- Demonstrated knowledge of Africa’s trade and regional integration agenda, including the AfCFTA, regional economic communities and trade-support institutions, private-sector development, economic governance, institutional capacity development, or related fields.
- Proven track record in designing, managing and delivering multi-country or regional programs.
- Experience working with governments, development partners, private-sector actors, business associations, regional institutions and/or continental organisations.
- Strong understanding of Africa’s political, socio-economic, institutional and trade-development landscape.
- Demonstrated ability to develop high-quality funding proposals, concept notes, technical reports and strategic partnership documents.
- Strong analytical, policy and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, with full proficiency in English. Strong working knowledge of French would be an added advantage.
- Experience of supporting governments and institutions in strengthening capacities relating to digital trade policy, e-commerce, digital market integration, digital services, and innovation-driven economic growth would be an added advantage.
- Ability and willingness to travel frequently across Africa.
Personal Competencies
- Strategic, visionary and committed to Africa’s development and economic transformation.
- Strong leadership, interpersonal and team-management skills.
- Ability to build partnerships and navigate complex stakeholder environments.
- Results-oriented, solutions-driven and able to deliver under pressure.
- Strong political economy awareness. sound judgement and high ethical standards.
- Entrepreneurial mindset and ability to identify opportunities for programme growth and resource mobilisation.
- Strong commitment to institutional learning, innovation and continuous improvement.
- Ability to work effectively in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment.
Compensation
The African Capacity Building Foundation offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience. The Foundation provides a generous package of benefits, including international medical cover, retirement benefit, mobility allowance, among others.
About the African Capacity Building Foundation
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) is the African Union’s specialized agency for capacity development. Since 1991, ACBF has empowered over 100,000 professionals across the public and private sectors, civil society, and academia, while building institutions in more than 40 member states. Through strategic partnerships and impactful programs, the Foundation builds human and institutional capacity and generates and disseminates knowledge to advance Africa’s sustainable development in line with Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
ACBF’s current strategic plan focuses on key impact areas such as Climate Change and Energy for productive use, Trade as an engine for economic development, and Economic and Social Governance. On the Trade thematic areas, strong focus is on strengthening Africa’s institutional, policy and implementation capacities to maximise the benefits of regional and continental trade integration.
The Foundation is headquartered in Harare, with regional offices in Accra and Nairobi and a Liaison Office at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, please submit in confidence a resume and a cover letter that details why you are a good fit for this career position to with the subject Head of Trade Programs on or before 31 August 2026.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
The African Capacity Building Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer