The Grow Africa Partnership was co-founded in 2011 by the African Union Commission (AUC), the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the World Economic Forum (WEF). Grow Africa is an African-owned, country-led platform for cross-sector collaboration. It works to increase private sector investment in agriculture, as well as accelerating the execution and impact of investment commitments.
Grow Africa assists countries to realise the potential of the agriculture sector for economic growth and job creation, particularly among farmers, women and youth. Grow Africa brokers collaboration between governments, international and domestic agriculture companies and smallholder farmers in order to lower the risk and cost of investing in agriculture and improve the speed of return to all stakeholders. The partnership engages over 300 organisations working to implement over USD 10 billion in investment commitments in 12 countries.
Grow Africa is recruiting an Executive Director, to be based at the NEPAD Agency in Johannesburg, South Africa. The successful candidate will:
- Provide leadership to the overall management of the Grow Africa Partnership, with oversight of the development and implementation of the Grow Africa strategy
- Hire and manage the core secretariat team, which will include approximately 15 staff plus secondments and consultants
- Lead and oversee fundraising and financial management for Grow Africa, for a budget of USD 5-8m per year
- Manage partnership governance, coordinating and serving as an ex-oficio member of the Grow Africa Steering Committee.
- Drive and strengthen relationships with stakeholders and potential partners through frequent interaction with senior business executives, investors, government officials, farmer leaders, local entrepreneurs, civil society and development partners
- Provide the vision and thought leadership on a range of key issues that drive increased investments in the African agriculture and promotes responsible, sustainable and inclusive business models
Candidate experience:
- Public-Private Partnership expertise in the regional agricultural, food or finance sectors as well as an understanding of public policy in Africa
- Established networks and credibility with senior government officials, C-suite business leaders and leading experts in academia, international organisations and NGOs
- Strong management skills with a track record in programme management, financial management, fundraising, operational oversight and multi-cultural team leadership
- Entrepreneurial mind-set and ability to innovate and engage across sectors
- Highly motivated and dynamic leader with excellent communications skills and high standards of professionalism
Finally, the Executive Director will be required to build partnerships with media, investors, and external stakeholders such as government and Africa’s agriculture communities. S/he should have a combination of executive presence and hands-on approachability with teams.
More information about Grow Africa is available on https://www.growafrica.com/
Grow Africa has retained the services of international executive search firm Egon Zehnder. Applicants are invited to send their detailed CVs to
johannesburg@egonzehnder.com
johannesburg@egonzehnder.com
Applications that meet the criteria must arrive by email no later than midnight on31 October 2015. Only the most qualified candidates will be contacted by Egon Zehnder for further interviews and referencing.
