L’IFC recrute un Economiste, Yaoundé, Cameroun

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges.  For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region

We need the best and brightest talent focused on Sub-Saharan African countries in order to harness the potential and innovation happening across the continent. Africa is a continent on the move, with a young population and a growing market of nearly 1.2bn people. We are committed to making the Africa regional teams leading innovation hubs. Yet, these vast opportunities are tempered by persistent gaps in education, health, and skills, which have Africa only reaching forty percent of its estimated human capital potential. Moreover, conflict, food insecurity, population growth, and the disruptive forces of climate change threaten to curtail or even reverse the progress that has been made over the past decades.

In West and Central Africa, the World Bank is a leading partner with a growing portfolio of 350 projects totaling more than $38 billion in areas such as agriculture, trade and transport, energy, education, health, water and sanitation – all to support job creation, gender equality, poverty reduction, and better lives. Across the continent, the World Bank’s program has nearly doubled over the last 10 years. By 2030, about 87% of the world’s extreme poor are projected to live in Sub-Saharan Africa, so this is where our mission to end extreme poverty and to promote shared prosperity will be achieved.

Are you ready to make an impact? We are looking for dedicated professionals to join our innovative and diverse team to improve people’s lives and help countries build back better after COVID.  https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa

Cameroon

Cameroon, with a population of 28 million and a GDP of US$44 billion, is the largest economy in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), accounting for nearly half of CEMAC’s combined GDP and population. However, the country faces challenges in poverty reduction, with a fast-growing population and high levels of inequality. Over a third of Cameroonians still live below the national poverty line, and nearly half live below the US$3.65 a day line (PPP). Nonetheless, Cameroon has significant potential, with abundant natural resources, a relatively educated workforce, and a central location in the region.
The Government’s ambition to reach emerging market status by 2035 calls for deeper structural reforms. Cameroon has launched a National Development Strategy for 2020-30 (Stratégie Nationale de Développement, SND30) with the aim of raising the country to upper middle-income by 2035. This strategy aims to drive structural transformation through increased investment and greater private sector involvement. However, the country faces various challenges, including sub-national conflicts, climate change, and an economic model that has lost credibility. Addressing these challenges is crucial for Cameroon to achieve its economic and social objectives outlined in the SND30.

The World Bank lending portfolio in Cameroon, as of June 1st, 2023, stands at US$3.74 billion covering 19 national IDA, IBRD, Trust Funded and 4 regional operations. These projects focus on areas such as energy, connectivity and inclusion, healthcare, sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and climate change.

The Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice

The Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment (MTI) Global Practice leads the World Bank Group’s dialogue and engagement with clients on macroeconomics, fiscal policy, trade, competition and investment.  MTI links the macroeconomic dialogue with programs focused on expanding the role of the private sector in economic development. For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/unit/mti-gp

In Cameroon, the MTI team provides economic analysis on a range of macroeconomic, fiscal, trade, and investment issues; supports bank management with regular economic monitoring and macroeconomic modeling/forecasting; maintains local databases for economic and social statistics for use by Bank staff based in the countries and Washington D.C; and supports the wider country teams working on Cameroon. The MTI team works closely with the Country Management Unit on a range of macroeconomic issues through advisory services, analytics and lending operations.

MTI has a large and exciting program in Cameroon. The MTI team leads operations and delivers regular analytic work such as flagship biannual economic updates, country economic reports, and public finance reviews. It has provided technical assistance on a range of issues including macroeconomic modeling and forecasting, fiscal policy, trade policy, and other topics. The team has a strong technical engagement with key economic management agencies across government, and other stakeholders in the private sector, academia, civil society, the media, and the donor community. The macro-fiscal policy reform agenda is central to addressing Cameroon’s development challenges, and the macroeconomic situation has been fluid with new issues arising. This creates a high internal and external demand for the work of the team, which is delivered in close collaboration with the CMU and colleagues in other practices, and through intensive and flexible engagement with the government and other stakeholders.

Roles & Responsibilities:

The Economist will be an integral part of the Cameroon MTI Team, which comprises a Lead Economist, a Senior internationally recruited (IRS) Country Economist and consultants. He/she will also be part of the Cameroon Country Engagement Team comprising colleagues from the different practice groups and other senior global practice staff and which seeks to foster cross-cutting solutions supporting the implementation of the Country Partnership Framework. Each core engagement utilizes different Bank instruments (ASA, policy dialogue, lending).

Responsibilities:

• As part of the MTI  Cameroon team, specific responsibilities of the Economist include the following:

• Co-lead the delivery of the annual economic update for Cameroon.

• Lead the biannual Macro-Poverty Outlook for Cameroon, working closely with the Extended Term Consultant to update the underlying Macro Fiscal Model (MFMOD) for Cameroon.

• Produce the Weekly Update (distributed internally) on the latest economic developments in Cameroon, by closely supervising the work on this product by the Extended Term Consultant.

• Maintain, update, and develop macroeconomic databases, including by closely supervising Consultants.

• Lead or contribute to management briefings and MTI inputs for other teams (e.g., macro context paragraphs in project documents).

• Work on continual improvements to the team’s set of analytics for the Cameroon economy (e.g., GDP and BOP forecasting, nowcasting, and macro consistency template).

• Support and participate in the policy dialogue on macroeconomic, fiscal, and monetary policy and economic growth issues with the country authorities; focus areas will evolve with policy developments and dialogue.

• Support macro, fiscal and debt ASAs including Public Expenditure Reviews (PER)/Public Finance Reviews (PFR) and Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA).

• Support Development Policy Operations, or other types of lending operations focused on economic and fiscal reforms.
• Other country economist functions as required (e.g., coordinating the annual CPIA exercise).

Selection Criteria

• Minimum of a Master’s degree in economics, with five years of relevant experience. A PhD would be an asset.

• Strong analytical skills in macroeconomic and fiscal management, and ability to conduct policy-relevant research.

• Experience in economic modeling, database management, and use of statistical software packages such as Stata.

• In depth understanding of the Cameroonian economy and the broader Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) region. A strong grasp of the economic issues facing Cameroon, built from experience working on the Cameroonian economy in a different capacity.

• Familiarity with other economies in the CEMAC region, and the regional issues related to a common monetary policy and regional central bank will be a plus.

• Integrative capacity including the ability to situate sectoral issues within a broader development framework.

• Strong communication and presentation skills, in English and French, including the ability to speak persuasively and to present ideas clearly and concisely with senior policy officials and a wide variety of audiences.

• Strong client-orientation and diplomatic skills combined with candor and courage of opinion.

• Ability to work flexibly on a range of assignments and adjust to a variety of evolving tasks to meet often tight deadlines.

• A high degree of self-motivation, positive attitude and drive.
• Strong commitment to teamwork and knowledge sharing, with a willingness and ability to be part of a highly collaborative team.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at theWorld Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.