Land Tenure and Private Sector Advisor

Land Tenure and Private Sector Advisor

GIZ-Internal/External Vacancy Announcement #009/2022

Support to Responsible Agricultural Investments (S2RAI)/Responsible Governance of Investments in Land (RGIL)

The livelihood of a large part of the world's population directly depends on access to land and its secure long-term use. Many landowners and land users have only informal or traditional tenure rights, which are often not sufficiently recognized. Representative household surveys conducted by the World Bank in six African countries have shown that less than 20 % of small farmers are able to present a document identifying them as owners of their land.

Commercial investments in agriculture and forestry are increasingly exerting pressure on land as a resource. Due to a lack of safeguarding measures, these investments can lead to loss of access to land, conflicts and forced evictions, thereby restricting and preventing inclusive and sustainable development pathways. Many countries have committed themselves to good land governance, but there are still considerable challenges for its implementation. The rural population is highly dependent on political decision-makers and formal and informal power structures. Corruption in land transactions remains very high.

Therefore, the EU co-funded project component on Responsible Governance of Investments in Land (RGIL) aims to contribute to increased agricultural productivity and development in Ethiopia. The specific objective of the project is that investments in land are productive, contribute to sustainable land management, and respect the rights and needs of local populations, vulnerable groups and women. The strategic approach aims at strengthening the capacities of key stakeholders and improving the regulatory framework for investment in land. The participation of civil society organizations in the formulation and implementation of responsible land policies is promoted, and private enterprises investing in agriculture and forestry are sensitized to follow acknowledged principles for responsible investments.

Contract duration:                            Until March 31, 2023      

Responsibilities & Tasks

Responsibilities

• Contributes to the development and implementation of project activities;
• Ensure the implementation of project activities in the region;
• Advising the local and regional implementing partners and the local population on technical matters related to land tenure rights and land registration, responsible agricultural investment and VGGT;
• Responsible for coordinating the local and regional cooperation;
• Coordinating cooperation with civil society organizations at local and regional level;
• Coordinating the implementation of Commercial Agricultural Management Information System (CAMIS) and its integration with National Rural Land Administration Information System (NRLAIS) in the region;
• Closely coordinating with other project team members;
• Communicate the project adequately at regional level (e.g. sign posts, flyer etc.) and network with all regional partners and stakeholders;
• Facilitate and support partners on all areas of project management/planning, implementation and monitoring
• Facilitate and support capacity developments/trainings, workshops, forums, seminars
• Develop activities within the project’s log frame
• Leads and assists in the conduct of regional evaluation/impact assessment studies;
• Assists with capacity building initiatives to facilitate a culture of results-based management;
• Represents the project at meetings, conferences, courses, seminars, committee meetings and workshops;
• Performs related duties as required.

 Tasks

• Advise regional authorities and the relevant departments on the development and improvement of procedures to strengthen land use rights and responsible land investments; with a focus on women and other vulnerable groups;
• Facilitate & support training needs assessment & analysis and capacity development
• Facilitate and support the development of inclusive business models in cooperation with other GIZ projects;
• Facilitate and strengthen capacities of relevant stakeholders to link smallholder producers with commercial investors through formalized and inclusive business contracts;
• Support standardized monitoring procedures to assess investment projects according to agreed economic, social and environmental performance indicators including the roll-out of the developed remote sensing monitoring system;
• Strengthen capacities of regional and woreda level authorities to screen and identify suitable investors that are competing for land and to negotiate contracts with them;
• Support domestic investors to comply with environmental and social minimum standards, focusing on community investor dialogues and environmentally and socially sustainable agricultural practices;
• Advise regional authorities and the relevant departments on the development and improvement of procedures to strengthen land use rights and responsible land investments; with a focus on women and other vulnerable groups;
• Facilitate & support training needs assessment & analysis and capacity development
• Facilitate and support the development of inclusive business models in cooperation with other GIZ projects;
• Facilitate and strengthen capacities of relevant stakeholders to link smallholder producers with commercial investors through formalized and inclusive business contracts;
• Support standardized monitoring procedures to assess investment projects according to agreed economic, social and environmental performance indicators including the roll-out of the developed remote sensing monitoring system;
• Strengthen capacities of regional and woreda level authorities to screen and identify suitable investors that are competing for land and to negotiate contracts with them;
• Support domestic investors to comply with environmental and social minimum standards, focusing on community investor dialogues and environmentally and socially sustainable agricultural practices;

Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in land management, land administration, agricultural economics, geography or related fields;

Professional experience

• At least 5 years of professional experience in line with the field of land-related issues.

Other knowledge, additional competencies

• Basic knowledge of Ethiopian Land Governance and Land policy;
• Ability to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to provide relevant information for ongoing evaluation of project activities, effects and impacts;
• Ability to compile and analyses data and prepare comprehensive reports;
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral in English and Amharic;
• Knowledge of the local language in Gambella is a strong asset;
• High level of knowledge in the MS Office package;
• Basic knowledge of GIS and Remote Sensing is advantageous;
• High degree of creativity, initiative, integrity and accountability;
• Good self-management and interpersonal skills, team spirit and to operate effectively and detail-oriented in a fast-paced environment;
• Competent in building strategic relationships among teams to help achieve company goals.
• Demonstrated strong problem-solving skills
• Willingness to travel to various project regions (up to 30%).