African Development Bank (AfDB) established to strengthen dialogue between the Bank and the Government, is recruiting to fill the vacant position of:

Objectives

The primary role of the Statistics Department is to develop and manage statistical systems needed to support the operational work of the Bank Group and its development research activities; to contribute to the development of statistical systems in regional member countries and the harmonization of statistical reporting among multilateral, bilateral and regional development agencies; prepare the Bank Group’s official statistical publications; and provide statistics and statistical analysis for the Bank Group’s Annual Report, the African Economic Outlook and other important Bank publications.
The Statistics Department (ESTA) is responsible for overseeing the Bank’s statistical work at national, sub-regional and regional levels, as well as within the institution itself.
Its overarching objective is to contribute to the development of statistical systems in regional member countries & promote the generation and dissemination of high quality, relevant and timely data to inform the SDGs agenda as well the Bank’s new priority areas of focus, including the new deal on energy.
To achieve this, it works in close collaboration with Regional Member Countries (RMCs), regional and sub-regional organizations, bilateral and multilateral development partners, as well as the Bank’s own research, policy, finance & operational departments and regional offices, amongst others.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the general supervision of the Director, Statistics Department, the incumbent will be responsible for managing and overseeing the following:

• African Information Highway Initiative (Database and statistical portal management)
• Coordinate the work on the African Information Highway (AIH) initiative, including ensuring efficient operation of all portal system linking all RMCs, statistical training centers & sub-regional organizations in Africa.
• Develop and manage, in partnership with RMCs, and regional and international agencies, databases and Statistical Portals on economic and social statistics in RMCs as well as on development cooperation in Africa;
• Develop and maintain knowledge base on economic statistics related to national accounts, prices, international trade, business, finance and money, debt, private sector, etc.;
• Develop and maintain knowledge base on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS), Population & social statistics, Gender Poverty publication, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Africa Infrastructure Knowledge Program (AIKP) activities, social database updates, etc.
• Develop and maintain knowledge base on external trade, debt, financial flows, tourism, debt, Africa Financial Market Initiative (AFMI), Making Finance Work for Africa (MFW4A),
• Coordinate the development and maintenance of the Bank's statistical databases, including access, interface and utilization;
• Coordinate the work with the IMF and others to ensure regular and timely submission of data by RMCs into the AIH system and regular data updates for all other critical development data on Africa;
• Work with countries to oversee the preparation and dissemination of statistical products and provide input into making data, analyses and reports accessible and available through various media.

Statistical Methodology:

• Ensure effective coordination with the Statistical Capacity Building Division (ESTA2) on statistical matters relating to concepts, methods, classifications, best practices in such areas as: national accounts, prices, trade, infrastructure, civil registration, business, industries, finance, money, non-market services, debt, private sector, etc.;
• Provide expert advice on statistical and methodological matters, develop methodological frameworks and apply quantitative methods, such as trend analyses and forecasting methods to estimate socio-economic aggregates of African countries at the regional and sub-regional levels and provide analysis of socio-economic trends in African countries;
• Propose strategic priorities for the Bank's database development;
• Define appropriate statistical methods to be used to estimate and forecast key macro, sectorial and social indicator in RMCs;
• Supervise statistical analyses in support of these activities and ensure accuracy and consistency in the use of statistical data throughout the Bank; and provide guidance on statistical analysis and interpretation.

Operation, research activities and publications:

• Provide statistical and analytical support to meet the operational  and research needs of organizational units throughout the Bank;
• Supervise the African Economic Outlook work (data collection; management; forecast analysis and generation of projections of economic indicators for all African countries).
• Manage the Bank's statistical publications;
• Provide statistical input for the Bank Group's Annual Report, the African Development Report, the African Economic Outlook and other critical Bank publications.

Other

• Represent the Bank in international and regional conferences, seminars and workshops related to statistical databases and data quality;
• Determine the objectives of the Division, establish and monitor its work program and introduce changes where required;
• Assess staff work performance, appraise their potential and determine their training needs etc.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Minimum a Master's Degree or its equivalent in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics or other relevant discipline.
• A minimum of 8 years of highly relevant experience, in a multilateral development institution or reputable organization.
• Extensive and in-depth experience in the use of statistical and econometric methods and packages in data processing; skills in programming and effective use of information technologies in the specialized field;
• Proven ability to build and lead a team of motivated staff, and utilize the talents and expertise of team members in a productive way.
• Ability to build partnerships and deliver results that meet the needs and long-term interests of clients within and outside the institution.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English or French, with at least a working knowledge of the other language.
• Good listener with demonstrated ability to present and win support for ideas; ability to make effective and timely decisions.
• Capacity to initiate and manage innovation and change.