Zambia Country Representative(Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub) at DAI Global LLC

The USAID Southern Africa Trade & Investment Hub (the “Hub”) project is a five-year project that seeks to increase regional trade and investment as well as agricultural value chain competitiveness in Southern Africa. The Hub project will help the Southern Africa region, including Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Member States, the private sector, and civil society organizations realize greater regional and global trade linkages and export-oriented business development. These objectives are underpinned by an improved regional trade and investment enabling environment coupled with increased agricultural value chain competitiveness supporting intra-regional trade.

In 2015, the Zambian Government and the U.S. Government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to increase bilateral trade between Zambia and the U.S. and intra-regional trade, and to improve the environment for trade and investment in Zambia. The MoU addresses the following priorities: a) trade facilitation, b) sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures; c) measures addressing technical barriers to trade (TBT); and d) policies to promote regional trade and attract investment.

In May 2018, USAID/Zambia requested additional assistance from the Hub through a mission-buy in. USAID/Zambia has outlined for the following priority areas to support trade facilitation in the implementation of the MoU:

• Improve the coordination and capacity among the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, other government agencies, the private sector, donors, and other stakeholders;
• Implement SPS measures and measures addressing TBT and export enabling certifications;
• Supporting streamlining and coordination of border operations, aimed at reducing the time and costs for commercial trucks to cross the border; and
• Establish institutional arrangements and policies to promote regional and global trade and attract investment.

The Hub will establish a full-time Country Representative based in Lusaka, Zambia to facilitate coordination and collaboration with the USAID Mission in Zambia, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and other Ministries, and private sector partners in the implementation of the buy-in and other Hub activities in Zambia.

OVERVIEW:

The Country Representative (CR) will support the four major components of the Hub project 1) Agribusiness; 2) Export Competitiveness; 3) Finance and Investment; and 4) Trade Facilitation.

The CR will coordinate with government stakeholders, the private sector, and civil society organizations, to design, implement, and support the Zambia-Buy in workplan and serve as the Hub Point of Contact for other Hub activities in Zambia.

The CR will function as a key counterpart and will coordinate and facilitate Hub activities and assistance at the country-level, under the supervision of the Chief of Party or designee to improve regional trade and investment as well as engage with public and private sector partners and stakeholders and to facilitate the harmonization, implementation, and uptake of regional trade and regulatory policy, agricultural and investment reforms, as well as trade promotion initiatives.

The CR will also coordinate activities and discussions for the Zambia E-Trade Portal design and implementation, in support of the designated project team established within the Zambia MCTI, strengthen the National Committee on Trade Facilitation and oversee the technical assistance for all Zambia buy-in workplan activities. The CR will also supervise the Trade Facilitation Advisor and the SPS Specialist, as well as ad-hoc short-term technical assistance (STTA) consultants.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:

The CR will have three principal roles: (a) representation and high-level liaison, (b) portfolio identification, development and oversight, and (c) technical delivery and project team leadership. The CR shall also conduct the following tasks:

• Provides input for conceptualization, development, planning and implementation Hub activities under the Zambia buy-in and coordinate other Hub activities in-country
• Develops relationships with key local stakeholders (private sector, public, donor / development agencies – particularly USAID in-country office – CSOs, FOs, research / policy institutions, etc.) to build and nurture country-level partnerships, solicit interest, obtain buy-ins, and mobilize resources, as appropriate;
• Monitor progress of activities against the approved workplan, flagging delays or challenges with suggested resolutions to the Chief of Party as well as M&E team;
• Act as senior interlocutor between the project and key stakeholders, including USAID/REGO, USAID/Zambia, Ministry of Commerce Trade and Industry, National Committee on Trade Facilitation, and others;
• Actively communicate with stakeholders to ensure their needs and accomplishments are widely known and understood;
• Convene and manage the private-public working groups tasked with shepherding remedies and solutions in support of Zambia’s adoption  of the TFA;
• Manage Trade Facilitation Advisor, SPS Specialist, and consultants for STTA assignments;
• Ensure that all Hub activities are closely coordinated with the USAID/Zambia, including drafts of all technical reports and other deliverables, such as separate work plans and discrete reports, and ensure they are shared with the USAID Mission in Zambia for review and comment;
• Coordinate any deployment of human resources for the program utilizing STTA with USAID/Zambia;
• Monitor and report on the status of all donor and government activities related to trade in country;
• Coordinate activities and discussions for the Zambia Trade Information Portal design and implementation and provide technical support to activities such as the development of the SADC trade portal, including SPS and TBT linkages;
• Responsible for overall risk management in Zambia, which includes identifying, monitoring, and reporting political / implementation / security etc. risks in accordance with the Hub’s risk management procedures and USAID standards;
• Coordinate capacity building efforts with relevant partner organizations, and support stakeholder consultations and trainings;
• Provide input to annual work plans, weekly reports, quarterly and annual reports, success stories, briefs, and any other communication needs requested by the project, within the prescribed timeline;
• Produce at least one weekly report story per the format provided (text and a photo of an activity) to be submitted weekly to the Strategic Communications team in Pretoria.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• MBA or Master’s degree in economics, public policy, international trade, trade law/policy, political economy, or related area, with international experience preferred
• Ten years of experience working in economic growth programming with a focus on trade and investment, trade facilitation, agribusiness, or related field
• Experience working with USAID, governments, and donor agencies
• Demonstrated experience working with a range of clients and counterparts, including donor agencies, private sector partners, and multilateral organizations, to implement trade facilitation- focused activities and procedures
• Demonstrated experience in developing implementation strategy and workplan management
• Experience implementing the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement
• Previous experience working on international development projects with a preference for running or starting up USAID projects in the field
• Ability to organize, present, and disseminate information, and to draft clear and concise documents with minimal supervision
• Demonstrated experience to anticipate challenges and resolve conflicts amongst stakeholders
• Excellent English writing and communication skills
• Ability to use the latest ICT technology and computer software programs

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The CR will supervise the Trade Facilitation Advisor, SPS Specialist, and short-term consultants.

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