Climate Finance Specialist

BACKGROUND

The USAID Africa Trade and Investment (ATI) activity is designed to bolster the U.S. Government’s ability to boost trade and investment to, from, and within the African continent. The continent-wide program is USAID’s flagship effort in support of the Prosper Africa initiative and will expand and accelerate two-way trade and investment between African nations and the United States.

Driven by market demand, ATI embraces innovative approaches to achieve its goals. ATI is designed as a small, core set of centrally coordinated technical and institutional support activities, and a large, flexible performance-based subcontracting and grants under contract facility designed to support the needs and opportunities that USAID Missions and the private sector identify.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Climate Finance Specialist will be responsible for designing and implementing the Ghana Climate Finance focused activities. The specialist will also be responsible for identifying climate finance related gaps, developing, and implementing activities related to the Ghana Climate Finance priorities activities and carbon market framework technical support that advance the USAID Ghana Mission Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) goals for investment (specifically including climate focused structures). The climate finance activities in Ghana will be aligned with the overall Mission’s private sector engagement, trade, bilateral and regional goals, and programming. The Climate Finance Specialist will provide expertise in identifying and supporting high-priority opportunities that drive climate finance solutions.

The Specialist will also have interfacing touch points and engagements with the USAID Ghana Mission, private sector players, the Government of Ghana (GOG) through its relevant agencies in developing and with the aim of supporting enabling climate finance policies and programming. Overall, the consultant will generate key recommendations on how the program can address the climate finance gaps and advance a green growth agenda and carbon market agenda work with the private sector in Ghana.

The Climate Finance Specialist will lead, and facilitate co-creation sessions with shortlisted grantees, alongside USAID, ATI, local implementing Business Support Organizations stakeholders, and SMEs. They will also contribute to and/or lead co-creation discussions with USAID and other stakeholders, and support USAID Ghana and ATI efforts to significantly increase and mobilize private sector-led climate financing opportunities in supporting the GoG carbon markets and the country’s NDCs agenda through new partnerships and consortiums. These efforts should address land, watershed, and forest restoration, and conserve Ghana’s natural capital and key biodiversity resources, and may include creating structures for payments for ecosystem services, green value chains, climate-positive business investments, and trade.

The consultant will work in alignment with the ATI Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (ATI AMELP) developed for USAID/Ghana buy-in that includes financial, and economic outcomes, innovative climate finance/blended finance structure, capital raised and deployed, jobs created, among others. All work will be completed in close coordination with the ATI Activity Teams and USAID Ghana Mission Technical Leadership.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Developing the Ghana Climate Finance landscape assessment and framework

• Facilitate a climate finance opportunity landscape assessment support to provide technical assistance to GoG and/or the business community. Carry out a geospatial analysis of climate-related risks and estimate their impact per sector.
• Oversee the development of the private sector baseline analysis and engagement tools to identify the most promising sectors/areas for private sector engagement and understand barriers and incentives to investments, as well as establish a private sector outreach mechanism to increase private sector engagement.
• In coordination with the USAID Economic Growth Team, develop and launch the Climate Finance framework, providing clear and specific recommendations for the actions that the Mission could take to develop climate financing programming, and support transactions with clear development outcomes in alignment with the Mission Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) goals, including leveraging additional funding sources. The framework would also guide the Mission on approaches and encompass a roadmap to improve awareness of climate finance opportunities and promote low-carbon growth and the green growth agenda.
• Streamline climate finance interventions across the Mission’s activities.
• Provide strategic advice and support to mobilize private sector investment in supply chains that are climate resilient and sustainable (local, regional, international, U.S. companies).

Capacity Building

• Lead and facilitate co-creation sessions including sector focused conferences with targeted stakeholders including, USAID, GoG, business community, ATI shortlisted grantees, and other aligned stakeholders including climate innovative funds, bilateral climate finance, regional funds, and SMEs.
• Facilitate partnerships between public and private sectors that build capacity and create long-term, inclusive shared value across climate smart food systems.
• Design and implement information sharing opportunities for learning purposes for ATI staff and grantees on climate change and climate finance.
• Support the USAID Mission’s climate finance initiatives, including the Embassy Deal Team (EDT) to submit requests to the ATI Deal Concierge Support Services.
• Support information creation and evidence generation and build knowledge products on climate change.

Anticipated Outputs/Deliverables

• A geospatial analysis of climate-related risks and estimate their impact per sector.
• Design climate-related fund programming to leverage other sources of public and private finance.
• Identification of potential firms, cross linkages and transaction support for businesses to access finance from private finance actors such as MFI’s, Banks and aligned funds.
• Public-private dialogues bringing together key stakeholders, the USAID Mission, the Government of Ghana to address and solve the sector-specific priority issues.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Postgraduate degree in international development/relations, climate change, climate finance, environmental and natural resources management, green finance, international development, economics or any closely related field.
• At least seven years of experience in private sector finance sector with experience supporting firms’ close transactions in the climate change or green finance space.
• Knowledge and experience in climate finance and blended finance. Familiarity with multilateral climate governance framework and global climate finance architecture.
• Experience in carbon markets, climate change adaptation and mitigation in Africa is preferred.
• Experience in policy dialogue and cross-institutional collaboration at the highest level, including with representatives of Mission, government, and private sector partners.
• Understanding of critical issues and metrics of international climate change policy and climate finance.

Reporting

The Climate Finance Specialist reports to the ATI Senior Technical Director- Africa.

ABOUT DAI

DAI is a global development company with corporate offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, EU, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Palestine and project operations worldwide. We tackle fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. DAI works on the frontlines of global development. Transforming ideas into action—action into impact. We are committed to shaping a more livable world.

DAI and its employees are committed to confronting racism and holding ourselves accountable for positive change within the company and in the communities, cultures, and countries in which we live and work. DAI is committed to attracting and retaining the best employees from all races and backgrounds in our continued effort to become a better development partner.

DAI upholds the highest ethical standards. We are committed to the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment as well as other ethical breaches. All of our positions are therefore subject to stringent vetting and reference checks.