The Junior Access to Finance Advisor will be responsible for identifying and creating partnerships to facilitate investment and fundings from various sources (impact investment, blended capital, venture capital, franchising, DFIs, etc.), organise matchmaking events between project beneficiaries and investors to generate funding, and facilitate the setting up of VSLAs.
Tasks
Facilitate Investments: Support the identification and resolution of obstacles to accessing finance for actors in the targeted value chains.
Organize Roundtables: Conduct discussions on improving access to finance for farmers and producers in collaboration with relevant government agencies.
Build Partnerships: Identify and establish partnerships with public and private institutions to enhance capital flow for smallholder farmers and Agri SMEs.
Coordinate with Stakeholders: Collaborate with other development programs to develop solutions for identified market constraints and harmonize approaches to agricultural financing and contribute to stakeholder dialogue programmes to create awareness about financing/investment opportunities in the selected VCs
Support Financial Products Development: Assist financial institutions in developing/adapting appropriate financial instruments and accessing flexible pools of capital.
Conduct Financial Needs Assessments: Analyze the financial needs of project beneficiaries and connect them with suitable investment opportunities.
Engage Investors: Support investor engagement and facilitate due diligence for suitable agribusinesses.
Organise deal/matchmaking event: Assisst in organizing deal room and matchmaking events to facilitate investor-investee engagement for capital flow.
Develop Investment Proposals: Assist MSMEs in creating investable financing and investment proposals.
Reporting: Prepare reports and documents on activities related to access to finance and investment.
Setting up of Saving Groups: Support the establishment /strengthening of Village Savings and Loans Groups (VSLA) across the project's VCs and States
Knowledge Sharing: Participate in knowledge exchange programs within the agriculture cluster and other GIZ programs.
Support the development of work plans, budgets and reports.
Assist with communication and knowledge management activities of the project.
Perform other work-related duties as needed.
Required Qualifications, Competences and Experience
Qualifications:
A minimum of Bachelor's degree in Investment, Finance, Business Administration, Entrepreneurship Development or any related field from a reputable institution.
Not more than 3 years of experience in the financial sector and/or in supporting smallholder farmers (SHFs) and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to access finance or investment. Proven experience in investment facilitation and matchmaking would be an added advantage.
Professional Experience:
Basic Investment Facilitation Skills: Familiarity with investment facilitation and matchmaking processes.
Demonstrated experience and success in supporting and advising MSMEs in fundraising for equity investment and debt financing.
Demonstrated experience in analyzing the financial needs of businesses and matching them with the respective available suitable sources of funds.
Good knowledge and understanding of the workings of impact investing, philanthropy, innovative finance and Venture Capital/Private Equity funds, Government/MDAs and the MSME sector in Nigeria.
Other Knowledge and Competences:
Strong interpersonal relationship and collaboration skills within the team and with external stakeholders.
Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English. Additional Nigerian languages would be an added advantage.
Excellent team spirit and networking capacity.
Strong awareness and passion on gender and other inclusivity considerations.