Private Sector Advisor

Background

The Government of Ethiopia (GoE) implemented several reforms that have opened considerable opportunities for investments in the economy and adapted private sector-led economic growth as one of the strategic pillars for economic development. As part of the Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda 2.0 (2024 – 2026), GoE is committed to strengthening domestic resource mobilization, enhancing customs and tax administration systems, and fostering the investment climate. Yet, despite this momentum, policy and regulatory constraints and administrative hurdles continue to limit the growth potential of domestic firms and deter private sector investments.

The British and German governments are supporting the country’s pathway towards industrialization and economic transformation through the implementation of a joined project named Sustainable Industrial Clusters (S.I.C.) II. The project has the objective to strengthen the resilience of Ethiopia’s textile and garment sector by applying a demand- and market-oriented approach in its support to workers, manufacturers and the government. It aims at promoting worker welfare; preparing companies to align with international market requirements; attracting international buyers to sourcing from Ethiopia; advising the management of Industrial Parks on sustainable operations and offering policy advisory to ease business environment constraints. The S.I.C. II project is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH under a co-financing agreement between the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is also implementing the Private Sector Development in Ethiopia (PSD-E) project on behalf of the BMZ and co-funded by the European Union and The Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands. The PSD-E project new programmatic areas focused on to “Modernize and Harmonize Ethiopia’s tax administration and customs management systems for private sector growth”.

Against this background and considering the importance of addressing issues affecting the growth of the manufacturing industries, including legal uncertainties, policy and regulatory inefficiencies, bureaucratic hurdles, trade logistics inefficiencies across the value chain, the S.I.C. II and PSD-E project collaborated with the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) to establish effective coordination and follow-up mechanism and address private sector concerns in a systemic manner. One of the approaches is to establish regular and open Public-Private Dialogue Secretariat Unit within EIC.

As part of this effort, the two projects are jointly seeking to hire a second Private Sector Advisor, on secondment with the Ethiopian Investment Commission, to support proper functioning of FDI Secretariat Coordinator, secondment at the EIC, coordinate with stakeholders and implement the suggested solutions from the public-private dialogues to facilitate the creation of more enabling business environment in EthiopiaThe Private Sector Advisor main duties are to liaise between the GIZ Economic Transformation Cluster S.I.C. II & PSD-E project team, the Ethiopian Investment Commission, the private sector and other relevant stakeholders to unlock the full potential of the private sector, and coordinate in addressing investment and related policy, regulatory and operational impediments. The seconded advisor shall focus on close follow-up of the issues raised through the FDI Secretariat.

The Private Sector Advisor specific role shall include:

• Improving Regulatory and Soft Infrastructure: design and support implementing the setting-up of competitive investment promotion, regulatory systems and soft-infrastructure within the EIC. This includes preparation of policy brief, sectoral studies and promotional materials.
• Serve as an advisor to the FDI Secretariat Coordinator, seconded to EIC leading customs and taxation components of the EIC-led FDI Secretariat tasks, identify bottlenecks affecting the growth of private sector, coordinate implementation of the proposed solutions from the dialogues and implement investment policy, regulatory and operational reforming tasks of the commission and unlock potential of the private sector.
• Investment Advisory: provide investment promotion, retention and aftercare advisory to the senior leadership of the political partner institute of the S.I.C. II and PSD-E project to foster private sector engagement in the economy and facilitate the creation of more enabling business environment.
• Investment Facilitation Support: provide business entry and establishment support, import-export facilitation, handle investor grievance cases and work on drawing systematic approach to redress grievances, retain investments and boost their confidence.
• Project Implementation and Coordination: cooperate and coordinate implementation of the project activities, regularly organize and coordinate PPD secretariat steering and working group meetings, investment promotion events and forums, monitor.
• Stakeholder Engagement: communicate and collaborate with advisors in the S.I.C. II and PSD-E project, EIC, relevant government agencies like Ministry of Revenue, Customs Commission, Immigration and Citizenship Service for effective implementation of solutions provided the PPDs, ensuring alignment and inter-agency coordination while implementing the project activities.

Monitoring & Reporting: developer tracker and monitor FDI trend, provide legal and policy updates, communicate progress updates and ensure timely submission of project implementation reports

Qualifications

• Education: MA Degree in Business Administration, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, International Trade, Economics, Law or related field.

Professional Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in investment projects aftercare support, import-export facilitation, project coordination, human resource management or management consultancy role.
• Proven experience in investment promotion and aftercare, preferably with government and private sectors involvement.
• In-depth understanding of the investment policy and legal frameworks and barriers deterring the investment inflow and expansion.
• Proven experience in supporting private sector development or/with development partners.
• Prior working experience in government offices as an embedded expert
• Good understanding of the manufacturing industries business operation, and coordination of issues that require multi-stakeholders engagement.
• Proven ability to navigate complex political environments, mediate between competing interests, and secure consensus among diverse actors.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills in English and Amharic, tailored to the target audience and communication channel.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and familiarity with project management or CRM tools.

Other knowledge, additional competencies

• Exhibits intercultural understanding and interest, a sense of diplomacy, and the capability to work in a politically sensitive environment.
• Proactive, self-motivated and maintains a result-oriented mindset, with demonstrable ability to identify and solve problems.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and report-writing skills.
• Strong interpersonal and networking skills with proven political clout.
• Attention to detail with excellent problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work under pressure, manage multiple tasks, and meet tight deadlines.
• Professionalism, discretion, and ability to work in a multicultural environment.
• Fluency in both in business English and Amharic (written and verbal).