Accountability Officer

Project Introduction – AWMP Accountability Support

The Agricultural Water Management Project (AWMP) is an EU-funded initiative implemented in Northern Ghana under the leadership of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), with support from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

The project aims to improve agricultural productivity, food security, and climate resilience through the development and rehabilitation of irrigation and agricultural water management infrastructure. Given the scale of investments, the project requires strong coordination, oversight, and compliance mechanisms.

This assignment provides long-term support services to enhance accountability, ensure effective coordination among stakeholders, and strengthen financial, administrative, and reporting compliance throughout project implementation.

The overall objective is to reduce fiduciary and operational risks, support timely implementation, and ensure that project results are delivered in accordance with donor requirements and national priorities.

 Consultant Profile – Accountability Officer

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s level or equivalent) in project management, public finance, procurement, international cooperation, or a related field.

Professional Experience

• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in international cooperation projects funded by international donors.
• Experience preferably acquired in the agriculture, water management, and/or rural development sectors.
• Proven track record in financial and administrative project oversight, including preparation and review of technical and financial reports in compliance with EU, AFD, or equivalent donor requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in project monitoring and evaluation, including:
• development or validation of M&E frameworks and tools,
• results-based management and logframe approaches,
• knowledge management and capitalization of lessons learned.
• Experience working with public institutions, particularly government ministries or national agencies.
• Successful professional experience in African contexts; prior experience in Ghana is an asset.

Technical and Soft Skills

• Strong understanding of EU and AFD donor procedures, including financial management and procurement rules.
• Solid knowledge of the project cycle and results-based management methodologies.
• Excellent command of MS Office and digital tools for project coordination, data collection, monitoring, and reporting.
• Ability to draft, review, and validate:
• terms of reference,
• bidding and procurement documents,
• operational manuals,
• reporting templates in line with institutional standards.
• Strong organizational and coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple stakeholders and parallel processes.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and facilitation skills.
• High level of autonomy, sound judgment, and ability to operate in complex, multicultural institutional environments.
• Demonstrated rigor, reliability, and attention to detail.

Languages

• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken.
• Knowledge of French is considered an asset.

Duty Station / Presence Requirements

• The assignment requires a strong in-country presence in Ghana.
• The main duty station is expected to be Accra, where key institutions (AFD, MoFA, PMU) are based.
• Regular missions to Northern Ghana, particularly to the project implementation areas (including Wa and surrounding regions), are required.