AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

Industrial and Trade Development Department (PITD)

CCIA Abidjan Plateau

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

FOR AN INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT

Title of the assignment: Business Development Consultant for Corporate transactions in Industry and Services sectors.

Brief description of the Assignment: The business development consultant for corporate transactions will support the Industrial and Trade Development department in the following areas: 1) market intelligence; 2) Identifying, building and maintaining excellent relationships with corporate clients; 3) building and training staff on efficient business development systems 4) Develop solid pipeline of potential projects; and 5) Market the Bank as the premier financier of private sector projects.

Department issuing the request: Industrial and Trade Development Department (PITD)

Place of assignment: Home- based assignment requiring extensive travel throughout Africa and regular missions in Cote d’Ivoire to meet the team.

Duration of the assignment: Six months assignment – November 2018 to April 2019

Tentative Date of commencement: November 1, 2018

Deadline for applications: September 24, 2018

Applications to be submitted to: t.viot@afdb.org & m.s.ba@afdb.org

Any questions and requests for clarifications may be sent to: t.viot@afdb.org & m.s.ba@afdb.org

Terms of Reference

Background

The African Development Bank (“AfDB” or “the Bank”) is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. There are 80 member states, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries or RMC). The Bank’s development agenda is delivering financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth. In order to sharply focus the objectives of the Ten Year Strategy (2013 – 2022) and ensure greater developmental impact, five high priority areas (“the High 5s) have been identified for scaling up, namely: Light up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa.

The Vice Presidency for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization (“PIVP” or “the Complex”) is central to the Bank’s mission of developing the private sector, improving infrastructure and accelerating industrialization.

The role of the Bank’s Industrial and Trade Development department is to promote the “Industrialize Africa” High 5. The department leads the Bank’s activities in the areas of industrial policies, ICT and 4th Industrial Revolution, trade and investment climate, and private sector investments in industry and services (non sovereign operations).

As part of its private sector investments in industry and services sector, the department has identified strategic sectors to actively support in order to achieve the objectives stated in the Industrialize Africa Strategy. These target sectors and related engagement strategies are detailed in the accelerated delivery plan of the industrialization strategy.

Objectives of the Assignment

The main objective of this assignment is to support the Industrial and Trade Development Department in sustainably and continuously developing a strong pipeline of good quality investment opportunities with African based companies, in line with the accelerated delivery plan of the industrialization strategy. The business development consultant will support the Industrial and Trade Development department in the following areas: 1) market intelligence; 2) Identifying, building and maintaining excellent relationships with corporate clients; 3) building and training staff on efficient business development systems; 4) Develop solid pipeline of potential projects; and 5) Market the Bank as the premier financier of private sector projects.

Main activities and deliverables

Contribute to better understanding the market and the Bank’s possible support

• Provide market intelligence, anecdotal evidence and the latest outlook on selected sectors.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the Banks’ product offerings and strategic priorities
• Complete market, business research and competitor analysis to identify potential deals for the Department and articulate AfDB’s potential roles.

Client acquisition and retention

• Develop and articulate a sound understanding of the Bank’s value added to its clients and its comparative advantage over other sources of development finance.
• Elaborate business development plans and develop pitch books and other marketing presentations.
• Map and target prospective client companies in industry, mining and services sectors across Africa, identify their needs and how the Bank can support their growth.
• Build and maintain high-level contacts with current and prospective customer and other business and project partners through regular individual contacts and active participation in industry events.
• Contribute to analyzing operational and financial performance of potential client companies, review investment proposals and evaluate the benefits and risks of new transactions.
• Maintain and nurture good relationships with existing clients and identify opportunities to repeat business and further support their growth using Bank’s instruments.

Improving the department’s business development systems

• Business development and marketing strategy: diagnose and propose improvements to the department’s current approach to business development to ensure that the department successfully achieves its lending targets and development objectives.
• Develop an operational business development approach for each of the three tier sectors identified in PITD’s accelerated delivery plan of the industrialization strategy.

Identify/design the relevant tools to implement these approaches and train department staff to use them.

• Develop mechanisms/approaches/process improvements to facilitate collaboration in pipeline development across the Bank and across DFIs.

Deliverables:

• Quarterly progress reports.
• Business development and marketing strategy.
• Business development, pipeline monitoring and business leads tracking tools, pipeline database.

Administration and Reporting

This assignment will be carried out under the supervision of the PITD department. The consultant will report to the Director of the Industrial and Trade Development Department of AfDB and will work closely with the management and teams of the Industry and Services Division. The Bank may provide a desk in a shared office where the consultant could work.

Assignment Duration

The duration of this contract will be six (6) months, starting from November 1^st, 2018.

Required Skills and Experience

Background and previous experience

• Master’s degree in Finance, Business, or Economics or other fields related to industry and services, and 6-10 years’ experience in a strategic sales environment, preferably with exposure to companies investing in Africa. Experience in investment banks or development finance institutions would be a plus.
• Strong experience in marketing & sales or generating new business, preferably with selling to C-suite and heads of business units.
• Experience in investment transaction, with proven success in developing client relationships. Experience in sourcing, negotiating, structuring and closing quality investments is a plus.
• Good knowledge of the industrial, services subsectors, and an extensive business network in Africa.

Desired skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and French; fluency in other languages a plus;
• Strong leadership, public relations, strategic communications and client relationship skills;
• Creative and analytic thinker with superior problem skills. Ability to quickly pick up new trends in the target industries and give timely advice to the Bank to pursue opportunities;
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills, ability to work successfully in multicultural teams and to build networks across the Bank and with external partners. Ability to interact directly and independently with the key counterparts with clients, financial, and technical partners;
• Capacity to deliver high quality work within deadlines;
• Autonomy, drive and adaptability;
• Willingness to travel extensively.

Reference

The bidder is requested to quote the DACON reference number when submitting bids The DACON system consultants’ user guide is attached for your ease of reference.

Application Process

Interested consultants are invited to apply by submitting Technical bids that also incorporate the following application documents:

1. Resume/Curriculum Vitae (CV);
2. 1 page cover letter outlining the candidate’s motivation and fit for the position;
3. Copies of the relevant materials that may strengthen the candidate’s proposal.

All communications and queries related to this call should be addressed to the same e-mail address.