West Africa's rice sector is a cornerstone of regional food security, yet a persistent structural deficit means the region currently produces only 60% of its own demand. Per capita rice consumption is among the highest in the world — ranging from 100 to 200 kilograms per person per year, depending on the country — while domestic production continues to fall short of meeting the needs of a rapidly growing population.

In 2014, the ECOWAS Commission adopted the Rice Offensive, a strategic framework to foster a sustainable revival of rice cultivation in West Africa and to support the National Rice Development Strategies (NRDS) of Member States towards achieving rice self-sufficiency. A Regional Action Plan (2020–2025) was subsequently developed to operationalize these commitments. More recently, the Regional Rice Roadmap (2025–2035) was validated by stakeholders as the unified framework guiding investments and targeted interventions in the rice sector for the coming decade.

Established in December 2021 jointly by the ECOWAS Commission and its development partners — including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, AfDB, World Bank, GIZ, AfricaRice, AGRA, JICA/CARD, FCDO, and the Islamic Development Bank — the ECOWAS Rice Observatory (ERO) is the specialized regional multi-stakeholder coordination platform for accelerating rice self-sufficiency in West Africa.

Hosted at the ECOWAS Commission's Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development (DADR) in Abuja, ERO coordinates rice-sector programs, public and private investments, and policy recommendations for key decision-makers. Its governance structure comprises a Board, chaired by the ECOWAS Director of Agriculture and Rural Development; four Technical Committees; national chapters, progressively being established across all ECOWAS Member States; and a multi-actor General Assembly convened annually.

ERO's mission is to facilitate collaboration, catalyze growth, and track progress, driving the region toward a competitive, sustainable, and resilient rice production sector that contributes to rural economic growth, poverty reduction, and equity for women. It was created to align political commitment, financial resources, and technical expertise toward a shared vision of strengthening coordination in the West African rice sector, in line with the ECOWAS Rice Agenda – Rice Offensive and the Rice Action Plan (2025–2035).

The ERO Manager is the chief executive of the ERO Secretariat. This is a leadership role that requires an individual who can close investment deals, drive bold strategy into results, and serve as the principal face of the ERO platform before governments, the private sector, development partners, and regional institutions.

• Deal-maker: Proven track record mobilizing capital and closing major investment partnerships across agriculture or agricultural infrastructure.
• Business pragmatism: Ability to translate vision into action and attract private investment into seed multiplication, paddy production, and processing.
• Skilled negotiator: Experienced at engaging senior government officials and navigating cross-border political and institutional dynamics.
• Visionary leader: Capacity to inspire diverse stakeholders to rally around the shared agenda of rice self-sufficiency and regional food security.
• Change agent: Credible, decisive, and focused on moving ERO from planning to execution.

The Manager will provide leadership and manage the day-to-day activities of ERO.. This position reports to the ERO Board, under the supervision of the Director of Agriculture and Rural Development. 

• Manage daily Secretariat operations, ensuring seamless alignment between governance standards and project execution.
• Provide support and coordinate activities of the ERO by organizing and preparing the virtual and physical ERO Board and technical committee meetings on a regular basis;
• Work closely with the ECOWAS Rice Agenda Coordination mechanism to ensure effective implementation of the Regional Rice Road Map in alignment with national and regional agricultural and food security policies.
• Work with the other ECOWAS rice projects, programs and initiatives to advise the ERO Board and provide input to ECOWAS Commission Rice Agenda on policies, investment priorities, and market development.
• Serve as the principal liaison for the national chapters, ensuring alignment with regional priorities.
• Oversee the ERO Secretariat, ensuring strong governance, robust MEL, and delivery of results.
• Assists volunteer technical experts of each of the four ERO technical committees (1. Markets, Trade and Standards; 2. Finance, Mechanization, Donor Alignment; 3. Seed, Soil and Water management; 4. Equity, Resilience and MLE) to define priorities and develop action plans, including timelines and deliverables.
• Work with technical committees to prioritize key research studies and approved by the Board, based on available budget, on a rolling basis.
• Promote profitable, resilient, and environmentally sustainable rice farming practices, while fostering equity for women and local employment

• Formulate recommendations to policymakers to improve the business environment (tariff policies, incentives) and ensure food security.
• Build and sustain strategic partnerships with governments, donors, private sector actors, farmer associations, and research institutions.
• Convene and facilitate dialogue among stakeholders to resolve systemic bottlenecks in the rice value chain.
• Mobilize private sector actors and secure their long-term commitment to ERO’s agenda.
• Ensure that ERO national chapters are established and operationalized in the rest of the West African countries.
• Champion evidence-based reforms that strengthen the competitiveness of the rice sector, overseeing the production of the annual State of the Rice Sector report;
• Represent ERO in regional and international fora, advocating for West Africa’s rice priorities.

• Mobilize financing.
• Facilitate large-scale financing (public and private) and partnership across the rice value chain;
• Build and maintain strong donor and investor relations, ensuring compliance, accountability, and diversification of funding sources for long-term sustainability.
• Facilitate and negotiate innovative financing models, joint ventures, and public-private partnerships that unlock capital across the rice value chain, including seed multiplication, paddy production, processing, and logistics.
• Make proposals/put modality in place to ensure that all funds generated are managed through ECOWAS/RAAF for easy management and efficient use

• Enhance capacity building and networking across stakeholders.
• Develop, in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, a knowledge management system for rice agronomy and markets.

• Manage the delivery and execution of the Matching Grant Facility in partnership with stakeholders, ensuring transparency, compliance, and results.
• Recruit and manage a high-performing team, and ensuring effective financial, administrative, and operational systems.
• Oversee the preparation and management of annual budgets and operational plans aligned with ERO’s strategic priorities and the global ECOWAS agriculture ecosystem.

• Master's degree or higher in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Public Policy, Development Studies, or a related field.

• Minimum 10 years of senior leadership experience in agriculture, trade, investment, or development.
• Demonstrated and verifiable success in closing investment deals and building multi-stakeholder partnerships.
• Strong track record in policy engagement and multi-country coordination at the regional level.
• Good understanding of the issues and challenges facing the rice sector in West Africa
• Knowledge of rice value chains in West Africa is highly desirable.

• Good understanding of the issues and challenges facing the rice sector in West Africa
• Knowledge of rice value chains in West Africa is highly desirable.

• Fluency in English and French is required.

The selected candidate will be engaged as an individual consultant on a 1-year contract, renewable annually, subject to a satisfactory performance evaluation and continued availability of funding.

The position is based in Abuja, Nigeria, at the ERO Executive Secretariat within the ECOWAS Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development. Regular travel across ECOWAS Member States and to regional and international fora is expected. The selected consultant will receive an annual return ticket from Abuja to their country of origin.

The consultant shall refrain from any situation likely to create a conflict of interest in the context of the mission entrusted to them.

Applications must be submitted as a single PDF file and must include:

• A letter of interest, including the candidate's date of availability.
• A recent curriculum vitae detailing professional experience and similar assignments, with clear reference to investment deals closed and partnerships built.
• Three professional references (full name, current and previous positions, telephone, and email address).
• a copy of the highest academic diploma.
• Copies of certificates of employment or service provision as listed in the curriculum vitae.

Applications must be submitted no later than May 5^th, 2026 – 11:59 PM GMT.  The application file must be in the form of a single PDF file. Applications should be submitted by uploading to the following OneDrive link: https://bit.ly/4cbAUts

Interested candidates may request further information by writing to the same addresses prior to the closing date.

The selection process will be conducted in two phases:

1. CV Screening and Analysis — At the end of this phase, candidates will be ranked in order of merit based on scores obtained in the CV evaluation. Only the most qualified candidates will be contacted for the interview phase.
2. Interview Phase — Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed individually by a panel. The best candidate at the end of the interview phase will be recommended for contract negotiations.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The ECOWAS Commission reserves the right not to proceed with this call for applications.