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JOB DESCRIPTION - PROJECT COORDINATOR Ghana

Support the project manager in coordinating the projects under the program “ECONOBIO” Development of Green Value Chains for the benefit of Local Populations living on the outskirts of biodiversity-

rich areas, with the support of private sector and civil society

Context

Created in 2001, Noé is a non-profit organization whose mission is to safeguard biodiversity around the world. The program “Man & Nature” of Noé aims at developing sustainable value chains in the surroundings of protected areas, through the rational exploitation of natural resources and a fair income for local communities in partnership with private companies. This program operates by providing technical and financial support to local NGOs to implement projects combining community development with biodiversity conservation.

Noé is implementing a program in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire aiming at developing income generating activities benefiting to the communities living on the outskirts of three Protected Areas (Mole National Park, Kakum Conservation Area and Kwabre-Tanoe transboundary forest in western Ghana/eastern Côte d’Ivoire) and contributing to biodiversity conservation (see the program description attached).

Noé works in partnership with 5 local NGOs (A Rocha Ghana, NCRC, WAPCA, Northcode, and CSRS in Côte d’Ivoire) on 5 main value chains: shea butter and honey in the north of Ghana, cocoa and coconut oil in the south, and cassava in Côte d’Ivoire, as well as on several Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) such as kombo nuts, guinea pepper and wild mango.

The program also supports the establishment and the strengthening of local governance structures to ensure sustainable and community-based management of natural resources (Community Resource Management Areas - CREMA in Ghana, Federation of Inter-Village Management Associations - FAIVG in Ivory Coast).

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Location: Based in Accra – Ghana, with field visits in the country.

Salary: Up to negotiation depending on experience. Local contract (the project coordinator will be hired by the Ghanaian NGO WAPCA but will be made available to work with Noé).

Duration: 1 year renewable

Main responsibilities and activities

Throughout the duration of the contract, the Project Coordinator will support the Project Manager in the following activities:

1) Follow up and support the implementation of the projects by the Civil Society Organizations

• Revise the 6-monthlty financial and technical reports of the CSOs;

• Ensure the projects are implemented in accordance with the logical framework and approved budgets;

• Provide trainings to improve the capacities of CSOs in technical and financial reporting;

• Organize a conference in Accra with key public, private and associative stakeholders to debate and raise awareness on the impact of the development of green value chains (invite attendees, develop communication support, oversee all the logistics…);

• Conduct field visits for supervision and support.

3) Ensure the administrative and financial management of the Program

• Write technical and financial reports to be submitted to the various donors, in particular to the Agence Française du Développement (AFD) and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF);

• Ensure the implementation of a detailed financial follow-up of the program to facilitate the audit of the External Auditor;

• Support the Project Manager in any administrative procedures.

2) Expand the search for funding and communicate on the project

• Support the development of proposals for public funding, private foundations and companies to secure co-funding necessary for the smooth running of the program;

• Produce communication material to promote the program and report on Noé’s actions.

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Monitoring and evaluation

The Project coordinator will report to the Project manager (based in Accra) and the Director of program “Man and Nature” of Noé (based in France). A formal evaluation of the work accomplished and of prospects will be conducted on a quarterly basis (oral discussion) based on the annual objectives set.

Required Skills

The ideal candidate will be an environmental enthusiast, committed to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development and will have:

• Very good interpersonal skills;

• A practical mind, with good organizational capacities;

• An excellent level of English and French (written and oral);

• A professional experience of at least 4 years with proven success in project coordination;

• A good knowledge in financial monitoring;

• Experience in drafting project proposal;

• A good knowledge in community development and support to CSO;

• Knowledge in sustainable agric/NTFP value chain development;

• Good writing skills and communication ability;

• Proficiency in computer tools (Pack Office).

Local candidates will be prioritized.

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter before the 8th of February to Cécile LACHAUX, Director of the program “Man and Nature” of Noé: cecile.lachaux@manandnature.org and Cécile RENIER, Project manager in Ghana: cecile.renier@manandnature.org

47, rue Clisson – 75013 PARIS, FRANCE Web : www.manandnature.org / www.noe.org

In a Nutshell

EconoBio is a large-scale program aiming at developing income generating activities benefiting to

the communities living on the outskirts of four Protected Areas and contributing to biodiversity

conservation.

Noé works in partnership with 5 local NGOs (A Rocha Ghana, NCRC, WAPCA, Northcode, and

CSRS in Côte d’Ivoire) on 5 main value chains: shea butter and honey in the north of Ghana, cocoa

and coconut oil in the south, and cassava in Côte d’Ivoire, as well as on several Non-Timber Forest

Products (NTFPs) such as kombo nuts, guinea pepper and wild mango.

The program also supports the establishment and the strengthening of local governance structures

to ensure sustainable and community-based management of natural resources.

EconoBio

Development of green value chains for the benefit of local populations

living on the outskirts of biodiversity-rich areas, with the support of the

private sector and civil society

Country

Ghana & Côte d’Ivoire

Intervention sites

Mole National Park

Kakum Conservation Area

Kwabre Trans-border Forest

Project duration

3 years | Start: January 2018

Budget

1,250,000 €

Cofunders

French Development Agency

Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund

Contact

Cécile Renier, Project manager

cecile.renier@manandnature.org

47, rue Clisson – 75013 PARIS, FRANCE Web : www.manandnature.org / www.noe.org

Context In West Africa, Protected Areas are home to exceptional biodiversity. However, these natural areas are

endangered by illegal logging, poaching and deforestation for agriculture, among others. Historically, most

actions for the preservation of nature in developing countries have focused on strengthening the protection

of high biodiversity areas, supporting Government as central player and often not providing access to local

populations. However, the capacity of government agencies is, in many cases, weak, especially in remote

forest areas. In this context, local communities are often the best placed actors to address key threats. Yet

their involvement in conservation is still patchy. Moreover, lacking sustainable income-generating activities

and struggling to meet their basic daily needs, local populations cause direct pressure on biodiversity and

threaten the conservation and sustainable management of many high biodiversity areas.

Solutions involve the implementation of community-based management systems, and the development of

economic alternatives. Since 2001, the Ghanaian State via the Wildlife Division has authorized the creation

of Community Resource Management Areas (CREMA), a mechanism enabling the delegation of the

management of natural resources to communities.

The success of the community-based management model depends on the commitment from the population,

which in turn highly depends on the economic interest the population may find in its implementation. By

improving their income through the development of Green Value Chains, the local population would accept

and support the preservation of the natural ecosystems and adopt a sustainable management of these areas.

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THE PROJECT

In the North – Mole National Park

Biodiversity: 5000 km² of savannah (the largest protected area in Ghana), home to many elephants, hippos,

buffalos and monkeys.

Threats: Deforestation for the production of charcoal, illegal cutting of rare species, clearing for agriculture,

bush fires, pesticides, etc.

Committed Partners:

A Rocha Ghana has a strong experience in establishing CREMA on the outskirts of protected areas in

Ghana, including the Mole National Park where it has set up four CREMAs and continues to work closely

with local populations, in order to develop the organic shea butter sector. Their vision is to contribute to the

effective management of the earth’s resources through sustainable and innovative actions.

Northcode was created in 2007 and is already strongly involved in the area. Northcode’s mission is to

ensure the empowerment of women in northern Ghana. Their specific focus is the development of

beekeeping and the reforestation of degraded areas.

Activities:

• Set up a shea processing unit to produce organic butter and create an economic added value.

• Develop beekeeping to generate additional incomes.

• Empower women through the setting up of Village Savings and Loan Associations.

• Strengthen the CREMAs already in place and create a new one in the southwest of the park.

• Set up a Conservation Fund ensuring the long-term self-financing of the CREMAs.

• Reforest degraded areas with endemic forest species.

• Set up community patrols to hinder illegal activities and monitor biodiversity.

In the South – Kakum Conservation Area

Biodiversity: 375 km² of tropical rainforest, home to the Roloway monkey, yellow-backed duiker, many

endangered turtles, and to densest population of Ghana’s forest elephants (200 individuals).

Threats: The low yield of cocoa cultivation – predominant in the region - drives farmers to increase the size

of their plots and to clear the forest.

200 000 hectares of land

sustainably managed

and restored

5500 producers – of which 50% of women 200 elected community members

100 patrollers

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Committed Partners

Nature Conservation Research Center (NCRC) was founded in 1996 and has a long experience in

supporting populations living on the periphery of Protected Areas. Since 2014, NCRC has been involved in

scientific research in Kakum Conservation Area, enabling them to build strong relationships with the local

populations and to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the area.

Activities:

• Develop Climate-Smart cocoa landscape certification standards.

• Assist the farmers in improving their practices to increase cocoa yields and meet the Climate-Smart

cocoa standards.

• Develop agroforestry with medicinal plants such as Voacanga and Griffonia.

• Create a CREMA to ensure the sustainable management of resources.

• Set up a Conservation Fund ensuring its long-term self-financing.

• Set up community patrols.

In the South-West – The Trans-border Community Forest of Tanoe-Kwabre

Biodiversity: 14,500 ha of swamp tropical forest, home to many endangered primate species; the forest is

the last habitat of the Roloway Cercopithecus, one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world, and

possibly of Miss Waldron colobus which, if not found in this forest, will probably be considered as extinct

in the wild.

Threats: Failing any formal agreement between Kwabre (Ghana) and Tanoe (Ivory Coast) forests, an

increasing number of Ivorians and Ghanaians ventures into both forests in order to traffic forest products

and bushmeat, while the severe lack of sustainable livelihood options prevents local communities to

manage their resources over time.

Committed Partners:

West African Primate Conservation Action (WAPCA)’s mission is to safeguard the future of Critically

Endangered primate species through community empowerment, education and captive breeding. WAPCA

has been instrumental in assisting the rural communities surrounding the Kwabre Rainforest to form a

CREMA, which enables them to sustainably manage their natural resources.

On the Ivorian side, the activism of the CSRS (Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte

d’Ivoire), has already protected Tanoe forest against a project of palm oil plantation. With their support,

the communities have set up a community-led organization (Association villageoise de gestion) and have

created in 2016 the very first community-managed Voluntary Natural Reserve in Côte d’Ivoire.

Activities:

• Contribute to the creation of a trans-border forest reserve to allow for the protection of the entire

forest landscape. • Support 200 farmers in improving their agricultural practices, in order to sustainably increase the

yields of cocoa plantations and to obtain an organic certification.

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• Set up a copra processing unit to generate additional revenues for 200 farmers; coconut oil being

highly sought after both on the local and international market. • Set up cassava producer groups and strengthen the value chain by improving yields, processing

practices and access to market.

• Strengthen the community patrols.

• Organic shea butter • Beekeeping

A Rocha

• Strengthening of 4 CREMAs • Conservation Fund • Reforestation of degraded areas • Patrols • Awareness raising

Mole National Park

Northcode

• Beekeeping • Village Savings and Loan Associations

• Creation of 1 CREMA • Conservation Fund • Planting melliferous species • Patrols • Awareness raising

Mole National Park

Ghana - WAPCA – Kwabre Forest

• Organic cocoa • Organic coconut oil • Cassava

• Strengthening of community-based management of natural resources

• Conservation Funds • Plantation for the creation of a buffer

zone around the forest • Patrols • Awareness raising

Côte d’Ivoire - CSRS – Tanoe Forest NCRC

• Setting up of Climate-smart landscape certification standards

• Climate-Smart cocoa • Non-Timber Forest Products

• Creation of 1 CREMA • Conservation Fund • Assisted Natural Regeneration • Patrols

Kakum Conservation Area

• Research, publication of articles, factsheets dissemination • Setting up of an Exchange Platform, conferences • Organization of exchange visits • Capacity building of the civil society organisations

Capitalization & capacity building

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