Regional Cybersecurity Advisor (West Africa) at GIZ Nigeria

International cooperation between Germany and Nigeria commenced in 1974. GIZ was initially represented by an office in Lagos until 2003, but since 2004 it has maintained a country office and four project offices in the new capital Abuja. At present, GIZ has around 25 seconded staff, 100 Nigerian and regional experts, and four CIM experts working in Nigeria. Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and has a population of 175 million, making it the continent’s most populous country. With a young, highly motivated and growing population, abundant natural resources and an increasingly diversified economy, Nigeria is not only a regional power but also an increasingly significant political player on the African continent and in the world. However, Nigeria faces major challenges. So far, its substantial oil revenues have had little impact on poverty. More than two-thirds of the population still live in extreme poverty and unemployment remains high. Sustainable economic and social development is hampered by corruption and by regional, ethnic, religious and social differences and the associated conflicts, which sometimes lead to attacks and unrest. As agreed between the Nigerian and German Governments, GIZ’s activities since 2002 have focused on sustainable economic development. GIZ is also engaged in the energy sector, agriculture and regional integration. The 'Pro-poor Growth and Employment Promotion in Nigeria’ (SEDIN) programme aims to increase income-generating employment in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and improve access to financial services. The programme is currently being implemented in Abuja and in Niger, Ogun and Plateau states. The Nigerian and German Governments also cooperate in the energy sector. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ provides advisory services to Nigerian partners on topics such as rural electrification, energy efficiency and renewable energies, and is contributing to the success of the Nigeria-German Energy Partnership (NGEP) as well. GIZ provides support to the ECOWAS Commission (Economic Community of West African States) in Abuja, focusing on the management, implementation and monitoring of ECOWAS decisions on economic and trade policy, and peace and security. In addition, two regional programmes focusing on agriculture are under way in Nigeria. The first aims to promote African rice value chains; the second builds the capacities of market-oriented small-scale farming. The purpose of both programmes is to achieve sustainable improvements in the livelihoods and food security of poor farmers in Nigeria and other West African countries. A distinctive feature of GIZ’s activities in Nigeria is the high level of cofinancing obtained from other sources, primarily the European Union (EU) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These additional funds make it possible to broaden the scope and intensity of the programmes being implemented on behalf of the BMZ, boosting the effectiveness of German development cooperation with Nigeria.

Vacancy No.: 036

Responsibilities & Tasks

• Support to the ECOWAS Commission on Advancing Regional Cybersecurity The Global Project “Partnership for Strengthening Cybersecurity” has been commissioned by the German Federal Foreign Office in 2023. Its main goal is the reinforcement of selected bilateral and regional partners’ capabilities to prevent, mitigate and respond to cyber security threats.
• Its regional components focus on the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as well as the Western Balkans and Eastern European countries. The project is implemented GIZ in close cooperation with regional political partners, and co-funded by the European Commission since 2024.
• In West Africa, in close coordination with the ECOWAS Commission, the “Partnership for Strengthening Cybersecurity” project contributes to the implementation of ECOWAS’ regional measures to support a) the development of cyber diplomacy mechanisms and skills and b) enhance the protection of critical infrastructure through operational response capabilities across member states.
• The Regional Cybersecurity Advisor (West Africa) will be embedded in the GIZ-ECOWAS office in Abuja, Nigeria, and at the same time closely coordinate (virtually) with the global project team, based in Germany

Responsibilities
The Regional Cybersecurity Advisor (West Africa) is responsible for the following areas:

• Design and implementation of regional project activities to advance regional skills and mechanisms on cyber diplomacy and operational response capabilities across West Africa
• Provision of advisory services to the ECOWAS Commission on strategic cyber diplomacy and cybersecurity approaches
• Multi-stakeholder management and network-building, including with regional experts, service providers, the local EU delegation, and other international partners.
• Continuous project management, including communication and visibility activities, results-based monitoring and reporting, and knowledge management.

Tasks
The Regional Cybersecurity Advisor (West Africa) performs the following tasks:

• Regularly exchange with the ECOWAS Commission for strategic advice and the preparation and implementation of activities, with a focus on change management and sustainable anchoring
• Steer the implementation of activities both in Abuja and across the region (e.g. policy and technical trainings with external partners, workshops, conferences, organisational change and community development), including coordination of participants, partners, contributors and local GIZ offices.
• Tendering and quality control of contractual project partners, e.g. grantees and service providers, jointly with the GIZ office
• Effective project management of the regional component (ECOWAS), including operational planning and reporting.
• Create visibility and communication material and measures.
• Function as a regional project focal point in West Africa, e.g. participate in relevant regional events on behalf of the project and regularly liaise with regional experts and partners.
• Collaborate with and regularly report back to the global project team on project activities, stakeholder management, etc.

Required Qualifications, Competences, and Experience
Qualifications:

• A minimum of a Master's Degree in Information Security, Cybersecurity, or a comparable field relevant to the position and subject area.

Professional Experience:
Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience with regional or international organizations in capacity building, organizational change, and policy advice.
• Experience at the interface of digital and security policy, preferably in the fields of cybersecurity and cyber diplomacy.
• Experience with procedures and actors in foreign affairs and international cooperation in digital or security policy fields.
• Impact-oriented project management, event organization, results monitoring, and stakeholder management experience.

Technical Skills:

• Proficiency in communications tools and software, including Microsoft Office and information dissemination platforms.
• Professional proficiency in English, with at least working knowledge of French.

Desired Additional Qualifications, Competencies, and Experiences:
Work Experience:

• Experience with international and development organizations, including GIZ.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision to meet deadlines.
• Strong copy editing, writing, research, and analytical skills.
• Strong relationship-building, relationship management, and networking skills.
• Willingness to travel across the West African region for project activities, relevant events, and conferences.

Salary
According to GIZ salary scale for Band 4.

Method of Application

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