JD Unique ID: 79032
Job title: Senior Officer, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem and MSME Development
Company: Self Help Africa
Location: Kano, Nigeria
Contract type: Fixed term contract, full-time (local recruitment)
Period: 18 months, subject to donor contract
Remuneration: ₦8m to ₦11m annual gross
Reports to: Project Coordinator
About Self Help Africa
Established in 1984, Self Help Africa is an international development organisation that works through agriculture and agri-enterprise development to address hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impacts of climate change. We believe that equitable economic development is key to lifting communities out of long-term poverty, empowering them to take control of their futures and improving their quality of life.
In early 2023 we launched a new five-year organisation strategy, which defines shared mission as the alleviation of hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impact of climate change through community-led, market-based and enterprise- focused approaches, so that people can have access to nutritious food, clean water, decent employment and incomes, while sustaining natural resources.
Our wider organisation also includes social enterprise subsidiaries Partner Africa, which provides ethical auditing and consultancy services, and CUMO, Malawi’s largest micro-finance provider.
Our three core values are:
▪ Impact: We are accountable, ambitious and committed to systemic change.
▪ Innovation: We are agile, creative and enterprising in an ever-changing
World.
▪ Community: We are inclusive, honest and have integrity in our relationships.
Programme description
SHA is partnering with the World Food Programme to implement the Strengthening Food Systems project to Promote Increased Value Chain Employment Opportunities for the Youth in Kano State. The project aims to strengthen food systems that promote increased value chain employment opportunities for the youth; sustaining and improving on-farm and off-farm job opportunities for 50,000 young women and young men engaged in the different nodes of sorghum, millet, soya bean, groundnut, and horticulture value chains.
The project will focus on capacity building interventions for existing enterprises, using this as an avenue to create employment opportunities for youth and women in Kano State.
Job purpose
SHA is looking for a dynamic, high performing individual to fill the role of Senior Officer, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem and MSME Development. The post holder will be to provide advisory on key project activities in the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem and MSME Development to improve and strengthen their business practices, addressing the key constraints that MSMEs face. The ideal candidate will have a track record of working with micro, small and medium enterprises in the agricultural sector across a range of value chains.
Key Responsibilities
Enterprise Support
• Map and identify main actors of the entrepreneurial ecosystems and provide advisory on tailor made support to MSMEs with a focus on capacity building/ coaching in areas such as financial literacy, basic financial management and compliance, identifying additional business development services where necessary.
• Provide advisory for enterprises to improve in productivity through good agricultural practices and other relevant techniques.
• Provide advisory for enterprises in accessing market information through market intelligence sources and digital platforms.
• Support to ensure high level of accountability to participants, stakeholders and donor ensuring effective feedback mechanism, regular communication, timely production and submission of plans, reports and assessment.
• Facilitate market linkage between MSMEs and Market actors while ensuring that MSMEs assess relevant information about market potential and opportunities to improve their businesses.
• Facilitate financial linkages between MSMEs and financial products service providers to enable access to finance for various business.
• Map and identify individuals and clusters with outstanding business ideas while collaborating with Agribusiness Officer and Capacity building team to support in developing quality business plans.
• Facilitate registration of cooperative with relevant authorities and bodies (State government, SON among others) for better access to resources.
• In collaboration with capacity building team, train clusters to become formal cooperatives.
Stakeholder Collaboration
• Leverage experience and understanding of relevant entrepreneurial ecosystems actors and financial service providers within the MSME ecosystem.
• Map and identify main entrepreneurial ecosystems players/actors/partner institutions to offer entrepreneurship trainings and additional business development services.
• Provide advisory to facilitate off-take contracts for MSMEs to enhance their operational capabilities.
• Collaborate with financial institutions, government agencies and others to create linkages between MSMEs and funding providers.
• Identify and facilitate input/equipment financing schemes for MSMEs.
Effective Implementation and Programme Quality
• Coordinate MSME development activities and work closely with the Programme Manager on the overall project strategy.
• Coordinate monitoring and evaluation Support to ensure capacity development quality assurance and oversight, which includes regular field visits in Kano.
• Coordinate project documentation and maintain an updated database for MSMEs and market actors.
Transparency, Compliance and safeguarding
• Employ the highest standards of openness, transparency and accountability to ensure good financial management in line with SHA’s zero-tolerance approach to fraud, bribery and corruption.
• Demonstrate commitment to safeguarding, protection, gender mainstreaming and inclusion of vulnerable population including people with disabilities.
• Provide support to establish feedback, complaints and response mechanism across communities of implementation to ensure programmatic and operational decisions are informed by local perspectives and priorities, and contribute to the protection of program participants at the LGA level.
Accountability
In line with Self Help Africa’s commitments under the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), the job holder will:
• actively promote meaningful community participation and consultation at all stages of the project cycle (planning, implementation, M&E).
• work with relevant colleagues to ensure that the Community Feedback and Response Mechanism (CFRM) is functional and accessible, that feedback and complaints are welcomed and addressed.
• work with relevant colleagues to ensure that information about CFRM, safeguarding and expected staff behaviour is disseminated among programme participants and communities.
Key relationships
Internal: Programme, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning, Finance & Admin, Procurement, HR & Admin, Security and Communications teams.
External: World Food Programme, Government Agencies, Private Sector Partners, Entrepreneurship and MSME Networks, Educational Institutions, Consultants and Subject Matter Experts, International Development Organisations.
Knowledge, Experience and Other Requirements
Qualifications and Experience:
• University degree in Agriculture, agribusiness, business administration, Economics, Social Sciences, or a related field
• A minimum of 5 years proven experience in providing capacity building and coaching support to MSMEs particularly in areas such as financial literacy, basic financial management, quality standards, agronomy, Business plan development
• High level of computer literacy with a solid command of Microsoft Office suite
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Professional experience in learner-centred training methodologies and coaching.
• Familiarity with the local context and communities in Kano State.
• Understand agribusiness opportunities across the selected value chains in Kano.
Skills:
• Excellent leadership and coordination skills (and ability to coordinate several tasks at once and managing priorities)
• Effective communication, problem solving and decision-making skills and diplomacy in communication
• Respect for cultural diversity and gender sensitivity
• Team leadership and mentoring
• Monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning
• Communication, networking, facilitation and mobilisation.
• Organisational development
• Reporting and documentation
Desirable:
• Gender and intercultural sensitivity
• Positive outlook and team spirit
• Adaptable and responsive disposition relative to the demands of the Programme
• Women are strongly advised to apply.
Language Requirements:
Excellent written and oral proficiency in English and Hausa language is required
Application Procedure:
Please fill and send the attached Self Help Africa application form and also send your cover letter and CV in a single document (of not more than 6 pages) to this link.
Email title must be same as the position you are applying for and the location of the position.
Job description is available for download here.
The deadline for this application is 4th August 2025. You are advised to apply early, as applications will be treated on rolling basis. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
All candidates offered a job with Self Help Africa will be expected to sign our Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. Specific roles may require Police/DBS/ [relevant police authority] vetting.
Self Help Africa strives to be an equal opportunity employer.
