Project assistant - Access to Finance

Expertise France - Private Sector Development Programme 

Expertise France, the French agency for international technical cooperation, has been entrusted with a major Private Sector Development (PSD) Programme in Lebanon by the European Union. The PSD programme aims to contribute to Lebanon's economic development and job creation by enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of its private sector (with a focus on vulnerable groups). This will be achieved by supporting MSMEs active in 2 sectors (agribusiness, wood processing) by increasing their competitiveness, participating in the economy and fostering their development and integration into value chain through integrated non-financial and financial services.

The specific objectives of the PSD programme are:

• To re-organize MSMEs into stronger groups for a more efficient and cost-effective use of inputs and resources operating in the framework of an adopted and integrated action plan;
• To expand the current market positioning of the MSMEs’ target sectors and sub-sectors and to access new markets;
• To facilitate access to finance for needed investments, utilizing available funding instruments;
• To create new and inclusive employment opportunities as a result of increased productions and sales

The PSD programme is structured around 3 components:

Component 1: agribusiness in Bekaa and Akkar.

The programme has carried out diagnostic sector research in the Bekaa and Akkar regions for crops that are suitable for support. Several crops have been identified and assessed against a set of criteria. For the Bekaa region, cherries and table grapes were the most suited to support.

Component 2: wood processing in Tripoli.

In Lebanon, the wood processing sector in general, and the furniture industry in particular, used to be an important driver of the Lebanese economy. Historically, Tripoli constituted the heart of the Lebanese wood industry and furniture production hosting the majority of timber warehouses and carpenters. It was the hub for wealthy buyers of luxury furniture especially from other Middle Eastern countries until 2010 when the downturn in the wood industry in Tripoli started.  

Component 3: access to finance.

Access to finance is an important component, but the informality and bankability of MSME’s needs improvement before large scale funding applications are viable. Environmental management is a critical aspect of value chain support, in particular in agriculture where pesticide residues and high levels of water pollution lowers product quality, restricts entry into export markets and is not environmentally sustainable.

Component 3's intervention is built around 4 different main actions:

• A.3.1. Increasing banking activity across the
  value chains and facilitating private investment
• A.3.2. Capacity Building of FI agents in
  lending to stakeholders across the value chains
• A.3.3. Improving the bankability of
  stakeholders across the value chains and encourage formal finance
• A.3.4. Setting up a Grant Fund to support
  equipment and infrastructure upgrading

JOB DESCRIPTION

Missions & tasks

The project assistant will work with the Key Expert Access to Finance and will manage the following missions:

• provide support to the different activities of the access to finance component 

• provide operational monitoring and reporting of the activities of the financial institutions 

The tasks of the project assistant will be as follows: 

• Operational monitoring and reporting to Financial Institutions activities
• Link the financial institutions implicated in the access to finance activities with partners in components 1 and 2 
• Provide guidance and support to the field units in the coordination with the financial institutions implicated in the access to finance activities;
• Organize and ensure the follow-up of the training sessions
• Organize and ensure the follow-up of the workshops or any kind of events that might occur during the project
• Manage the reporting of the activities related to the component 3

Profile

Qualification and skills:

• University degree, fresh graduate or senior year. Proven track record in the field of the
• mission
• Fluency in English and Arabic;
• Very good knowledge of computer software, in particular excel;
• Relevantprofessional experience in economic development;

Professional experience:

• Experience of working on international project and multicultural teams;
• It is preferable that the individual has experience with, or in, multilateral institutions;
• Knowledge of EU technical assistance project and processes is an asset.