1. Background and rationale

Recognizing the vital role of the agricultural sector in the development of the West African Region, the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adopted the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy on 19 January 2005 in Accra, Ghana.

To facilitate the implementation of this Policy, the Extraordinary Session of Ministers responsible for Regional Integration, Agriculture, Trade, Economy, and Finance from the 15 ECOWAS Member States convened in Yamoussoukro, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, on 23 October 2009, and recommended the establishment of an Operational Technical Agency. This agency would possess administrative and financial management autonomy in order to provide effective services to Member States and the Region concerning agriculture and food security.

Consequently, the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (ARAA) was established through Regulation C/REG.1/08/11 during the sixty-sixth ordinary session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, held in Abuja, Nigeria, from 17 to 19 August 2011. This recommendation was made by the Specialized Ministerial Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and Water Resources of the ECOWAS Member States.

ARAA is mandated to ensure the technical implementation of regional investment programs and plans that contribute to the operationalization of the Regional Agricultural Policy, by leveraging the expertise of regional institutions, organizations, and stakeholders with demonstrated capabilities.

Officially launched on 27 September 2013, the ARAA serves as a specialized technical agency headquartered in Lomé, Togo, in accordance with the Headquarters Agreement signed on 26 November 2012 between the ECOWAS Commission and the Togolese Republic. Over time, with the guidance of the ECOWAS Commission and the growing engagement of technical and financial partners, the ARAA's project portfolio has expanded significantly.

To enhance its financial pool system, which must align with ECOWAS requirements and the directives of its technical and financial partners, the ARAA plans to recruit a qualified, certified accounting assistant.

2. Objective of the mission and scope of the mission

The accounting assistant, under the hierarchical supervision of the Head of Administration and Finance at the ARAA, will be tasked with collecting, coordinating, and verifying financial and accounting data. This role will be conducted in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the ARAA's administrative, accounting, and financial procedures manual.

The accountant's services will specifically consist of:

• Assist the accountants in preparing the consolidated annual budget, based on the agreed annual work programme for the three project accounts;
• Assist the accountants in preparing financial reports;
• Contribute to the installation and proper functioning of the programme’s computerized financial and accounting monitoring system;
• Enter and archive accounting documents;
• Review supporting documents to ensure that they are complete, accurate and valid, in accordance with applicable policies, procedures, rules and regulations;
• Regularly maintain accounting documents (journals and ledgers) in line with the defined system, and keep computerized accounts using SAP software, providing details for each category of expenditure, component, sub-component, beneficiary and source of funding (entering all financial and accounting transactions exhaustively in the respective journals);
• Be proficient in the use of computers, in particular software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and SAP (FICO, FM, MM);
• Have knowledge of internationally recognized procurement standards and of the phases, techniques and operations used in the procurement of a diverse range of goods and services;
• Maintain accounts in accordance with IPSAS standards;
• Assist in ensuring that the accounts are regularly replenished to enable the prompt settlement of expenditures incurred under the project;
• Prepare cheques and transfer orders for payment to suppliers;
• Prepare monthly bank reconciliation statements for the project account.
• Retrieve and make available supporting documents and relevant information for internal and external audits, as instructed by the Administration and Finance Assistant;
• Carry out any other tasks related to the position.

3. Consultant Profile
4. Qualifications and Technical Skills Required

The candidate must meet the following criteria:

• Hold a degree (Bachelor’s) in Accounting, Business Management or Finance;
• Have at least three (03) years of proven professional experience in keeping journals and accounting books in an accounting department;
• Have solid experience in managing bank cash in at least one financial institution, including payment processing and disbursement;
• Be a national of an ECOWAS member country;
• Be proficient in accounting software; knowledge of SAP software would be an asset;
• Additional qualifications in fields relevant to the position are an asset;
• Have professional and moral integrity;
• Have good interpersonal skills, team spirit and the ability to work under pressure;
• Where candidates have equal qualifications, female candidates will be given preference.

2. Ethics and Leadership

• Be methodical, organized and rigorous;
• Be dynamic with a good spirit of initiative;
• Have a good ability to adapt and a good team spirit;
• Be able to perform work of a confidential nature, to handle a large volume of work under pressure;
• Be of integrity and good character;
• Good written and oral communication skills in French. Fluency in English would be an asset.

4. Position details

• Duty station: Lomé, Togo, with missions outside Togo as required by service needs;
• Type and duration of contract: Individual consultant contract, renewed annually based on performance evaluation results and availability of funding;
• Probation period: Six (06) months, at the end of which a performance evaluation will be carried out;
• Remuneration: Competitive;
• Administrative arrangements: The Accountant will be based within ARAA and will report to the Executive Director, to whom he/she will report on his/her activities. He/she will work closely with the other divisions of ARAA.

5. Selection Process

The selection process will take place in two phases:

• CV analysis phase: At the end of this phase, candidates will be ranked in order of merit on the basis of the scores obtained in the evaluation of their CVs. Only the first six (06) candidates shortlisted after the CV evaluation, and who have obtained the minimum qualifying score of 70 out of 100, will be contacted for the interview phase.
• Interview phase: The shortlisted candidates will be interviewed individually by a panel composed of members of an Evaluation Committee. The best candidate at the end of the interview process will be selected for contract negotiations.

6. Application form

Applications must include:

• A cover letter specifying the date of availability;
• A recent curriculum vitae detailing professional experience and similar assignments;
• Three professional references (names, current and past positions, email addresses and telephone numbers);
• A certified copy of the highest degree;
• Copies of the certificates of employment or certificates of service mentioned in the CV and confirming the experience acquired.

All the documents must be grouped together in a single file in PDF format with the following mention: "CANDIDATE NAME- ARAA Accounting Assistant"

7. Submission of applications

Applications must be submitted no later than 12 January 2026 at 23:59 GMT, by uploading them via the following link:  https://bit.ly/3MqdSoi

8. Request for further information

Interested consultants can obtain further information by writing to the following email addresses: procurement@araa.org cc: ctienon@araa.org; awaki@araa.org with the subject " SCI42-Recruitment of Accounting Assistant".