The World Bank Group \u2013 Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world\u2019s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2017, the WBG committed $59 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $19 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188 member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally.<\/p>\n
We are recruiting to fill the position below:<\/p>\n
Job Title:\u00a0Senior Communications Officer<\/strong> Regional Context<\/strong> In this deeply interconnected digital world, the 21st century will be defined by rising generations of skilled young African men and women. With approximately 11 million young Africans expected to enter the labor market each year for the next decade, our development work is dedicated to improving the job prospects, living conditions, and wellbeing of Africa\u2019s people, especially Africa\u2019s poorest. We believe that by enabling Africans from all walks of life reach their full potential \u2013 physically and intellectually \u2013 the world will breach the final poverty frontier.<\/p>\n Eradicating extreme poverty and catalyzing transformative development across the continent requires supporting our clients to overcome barriers to economic growth and challenges to competitiveness in the global economy. Together we are addressing bottlenecks to doing business, scaling up investments for critical infrastructure, boosting Africa\u2019s human capital, facilitating innovation and technology adoption, and leveraging drivers of growth, notably agricultural productivity.<\/p>\n Sub-Saharan Africa is recovering from a decline in economic growth, which reached a low of 1.5% in 2016. The economic recovery lost momentum in 2018 but is set to continue. However, structural transformation in the region remains slow and the availability of good jobs has not been able to keep pace with the number of entrants in the labor force. Public debts burdens are rising, fueling debt sustainability risks, and fragility in the region remains widespread with vulnerable populations of extreme poor on the rise.<\/p>\n While the overall business climate in Africa is the weakest in the world, several countries including some fragile states have made great strides in improving their environment for business. What is emerging as a result is a growing region, with setbacks from time to time, that is increasingly seen as a destination for investment; and one where leaders are increasingly willing to address problems of poor governance that harms development effectiveness.<\/p>\n The Africa Region seeks to seize this unprecedented opportunity to better support our clients in realizing the ambition of eradicating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. As Africa\u2019s largest economy, Nigeria carries huge importance for the economic and social well-being of the entire region. Notwithstanding its status as an economic powerhouse, Nigeria is addressing virtually every challenge countries of Sub-Saharan Africa are facing: conflict and recovery issues in areas subject to Boko Haram violence; institution-building and resource management; making social safety nets more inclusive and reliable; improving energy supplies for the population.<\/p>\n The Senior Communications Officer for the World Bank in Nigeria must have a firm grasp of this range of political, social and economic challenges and must be well positioned to lead communications interventions that support the country program. The successful candidate must have a deep knowledge and understanding of Nigeria\u2019s political economy and be positioned to engage leaders with media, the private sector, academia and the full panoply of stakeholders in the country.<\/p>\n The Senior Communications Officer will have a good understanding of reputation risk management and be responsible for supporting complex Bank-funded projects in Nigeria, and for carrying out dissemination strategies for Bank analytical work using creative tools including social media. Candidates for the position should have a demonstrated capacity for shaping public opinion and influencing the national conversation on critical issues. They should also be ready to provide strategic communications leadership and support to other countries and partners in the region when called upon.<\/p>\n Africa External Communications and Partnerships (AFREC) employs an extended team of professionals in World Bank Headquarters and across country offices to support the overarching goal of advancing inclusive growth in Africa. AFREC uses the full array of communications tools and methodologies to build awareness and understanding and mobilize support for development goals.<\/p>\n Work programs cover dissemination through traditional and online media, relationship building, analysis of political and project risks, and design of programs to manage those risks. A strategic renewal within AFREC emphasizes closer alignment with operations in the region, and coordination with the Bank\u2019s External and Corporate Relations network, to ensure that AFREC services are critical to regional and corporate priorities, and that they employ state-of-the-art communications tools to disseminate information, build understanding, and connect the Bank to a variety of actors involved in poverty reduction and development.<\/p>\n Recognizing that Africa\u2019s economic and social context is rapidly changing, and that communications technologies have revolutionized the ways that information travels, AFREC is building a team of dynamic and innovative professionals prepared to use traditional and digital tools, including social media and multi-media production, to shape the debate on development priorities and trade-offs.<\/p>\n AFREC is seeking an experienced and hands-on Senior Communications Officer to lead the communications program in Nigeria, with attention to providing strategic advice to complex development projects the Bank supports in the country. Given the size of the investment portfolio in Nigeria, and the country\u2019s critical importance to the region, the Senior Communications Officer will on occasion lead teams on communications projects and may recruit and manage consultants to work on communications work.<\/p>\n Collaborating with AFREC professionals in the region and in Washington, DC, the Senior Communications Officer will also support corporate communications priorities, including dissemination of World Bank flagship publications, executive visits to the region, and the Bank\u2019s Annual and Spring meetings. This is a locally recruited staff position based in Abuja.<\/p>\n Roles & Responsibilities<\/strong><\/p>\n His\/her specific duties and accountabilities include:<\/p>\n Selection Criteria<\/strong><\/p>\n Competencies:<\/p>\n
\nJob #:<\/strong> req869
\nLocation<\/strong>: Abuja, Nigeria
\nSector:<\/strong> Communications
\nGrade:<\/strong> GG
\nTerm Duration:<\/strong> 2 years 0 months
\nRecruitment Type:<\/strong> Local Recruitment
\nRequired Language(s):<\/strong> English<\/p>\n
\nThe Africa Region, which is comprised of approximately 740 staff members, mostly based in about 40 country offices, is committed to helping Africa realize its considerable development potential, with a focus on employment generation. The core values guiding our work are passion for our mission of sustainable poverty reduction with keen attention to quality and transformative impact, putting the needs of the client at the center of all our activities, trust and respect as a common currency, intellectual rigor and curiosity, honesty and integrity, teamwork, openness to learning and the courage to admit we do not always have the answer.<\/p>\n
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\nCountry Context<\/strong>
\nAfrica\u2019s most populous country, Nigeria has enjoyed solid economic growth in recent years, but oil, which accounts for 90% of exports and 75% of consolidated budget revenues, is reeling from global price declines. And despite successful elections, security concerns from Boko Haram in the north and related problems of displacement persist. World Bank commitments in Nigeria of $1.7 billion in 2015 and $2 billion the previous year underscore the country\u2019s strategic importance, and its role as a major economic engine in West Africa.<\/p>\n\n
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