Accountant (Payables & Advances) at The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), April 2024

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional grouping with 15 Member States in West Africa (three landlocked and one island) with a population of about 300million and an annual economic growth rate of around 6%. The ECOWAS Commission is one of the eight Regional Economic Communities supporting the African Union to coordinate the implementation of continental and regional integration and development programmes in the West African region.
We are currently seeking to employ suitably qualified candidates to fill the vacant position below:

Job Title: Accountant (Payables & Advances)
Reference: ECW-FIN-REC/P/001/2017
Location: ECOWAS Commission, Abuja, Nigeria
Department: Finance
Directorate: Finance
Grade: P3
Supervisor: Principal Accountant
Duration: Two years (with extension subject to “Staff Regulation” of the ECOWAS Commission, satisfactory performance and availability of funds)
Job Objective

Reporting directly to the Principal Accountant (Accounts payable), the Accountant has a responsibility for the execution of financial policies and regulations in the area of Accounts Payable and other contract expenditure processing including payment of advances and update of related books of accounts for the ECOWAS Commission.

General Description

A major responsibility of this position is supervising staff to review invoices as well as check payment requests;
Sort, organize and match bills and check demands;
Set invoices up for payment;
Monitor Institution accounts to ensure payments to be up to date;
Resolve bill discrepancies;
Vendor document maintenance;
Respond to vendor enquiries;
Put together and process Institution accounts payable check, reconciliation of obligations;
Prepare analysis associated with accounts;
Produce monthly reports;
Assist in month end and annual closing.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Responsible for creating and maintaining all vendor master records in the financial system;
Supervise and train Accounts Payable staff for maximum efficiency and output;
Review the work of Payables staff to ensure all payables are properly documented, properly approved, coded to active and valid codes in accordance with the ECOWAS Financial Regulations and the Manual of Accounting Procedures;
Act as liaison between Vendors, Consultants, Employees and/or Internal Sectors/Departments and Accounts Payable within the Finance Directorate and offer impeccable customer service;
Review/reconcile vendor statements on a regular basis;
Prepare and submit monthly reports for management review;
Investigate Vendor, Consultant and Employee inquiries and track down delinquent invoices;
Process all employee/consultant claims for travel-related and other expenses;
Monitor ageing and due dates of payables and arrange to account and pay in a timely manner;
Ensure accurate and timely filing of all AP related vouchers and records to enable easy retrieval of documents and ensure proper archiving of prior fiscal year documents;
Retrieve and furnish all relevant vouchers and details for internal and external audits.

Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting (or equivalent qualification) with additional 5 years of relevant record of professional experience. Being a professional accountant (CPA, ACCA, CIMA, CA etc.) will be an added advantage.
A higher degree will reduce the number of years of experience to three (3);
Excellent verbal and written communication skills (fluent) in one of the official languages of the ECOWAS Community (English, French and Portuguese). Good working knowledge of a second Community language will be an added advantage.
Excellent knowledge of financial accounting principles and concepts including the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). Experience with EU Pillar Assessment on Internal Control and Accounting will be an added advantage.
Good knowledge of general aspects of financial management software and of at least one ERP software. Previous specific experience with SAP will be an asset.
Ability to operate standard Microsoft office software (Word, Excel, Power Point, Access).
Good inter-personal skills and team working ability necessary to enable effective interaction in performing key financial activities of other team members and supervise their works, including peers. Proven record of experience in multicultural environments will be an added advantage.
Ability to set and meet deadlines including strong ability to manage multiple tasks to completion and with set deadlines.
Ability to make recommendations on key financial and managerial issues.

Language:

Must be fluent in one of the official languages of the Commission; English, French and Portuguese. A working knowledge of another would be an advantage.

Interested and qualified candidates should download the “Application Form” below, fill the form and send it as an e-mail attachment along with their CV’s to: [email protected]

Click here to download Application Form (Ms Word Format)

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Job City Abuja

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Before the creation of ECOWAS, the collective territory known as West Africa, from a regional point of view, was made up of an aggregation of states that had emerged from different colonial experiences and administrations which largely defined the boundaries of the 15 states domiciled in the area.

Even though member states of the community, today make use of three different imported official languages (English, French and Portuguese), there are well over a thousand existing local languages including cross-border native tongues such as Ewe, Fulfulde, Hausa, Mandingo, Wolof, Yoruba, Ibo, Ga, etc. that constitute its over 300 million people tucked in a vast land of about 5.1 million square kilometres.

Prior to colonialism, the area played host to many proud empires and kingdoms that spanned centuries some of which included Ghana, Mali Songhai, Wolof, Oyo, Benin and Kanem Bornu.

The region’s cultural, linguistic and ecological diversity presents both opportunities and challenges for the integration process. The longing to combine forces politically and economically has always been recognised as a step forward in the desire to engender co-prosperity in the area.

In this regard, the first effort at integration dates back to 1945 with the creation of CFA franc that brought the francophone countries of the region into a single currency union. Then in 1964, Liberian president William Tubman proposed an economic union for West Africa leading to an agreement which was signed in 1965 by the four states of Cote d’Ivore, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

However, nothing concrete emanated from these until 1972 when Nigerian head of state Gen Yakubu Gowon and his Togolese counterpart Gnassingbe Eyadema toured the region in support of the integration Idea. Thanks to the drafts that emanated from their efforts as they formed the basis for the emergence of the treaty of Lagos in 1975 which birthed ECOWAS. The treaty of Lagos was initially limited to economic policies but emerging political events led to its revision and therewith the expansion of scope and powers in 1993.

ECOWAS is meant to foster interstate economic and political cooperation. History is on its side in this regard. Dating back to pre-colonial times, West Africans have been among the world’s most mobile populations although much of the migration had been intra-regional. About 7.5 million West African migrants (3 percent of the regional population) are living in ECOWAS countries other than their own. The 1.2 million other migrants are dispersed mainly in North America and Europe. Estimated at about 149 million in 2013, women constitute over 50 percent of the region’s population. The cross-border migration of women as traders and business persons places them as potential champions for promoting integration, even though this is a reality that is yet to be fully exploited.

Over the last few years, West Africa’s population witnessed strong growth, increasing from 70 million to nearly 300 million inhabitants between 1950 and 2010. By the end of 2014, it represents nearly 40% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa. According to the projections of the United Nations, the population of West Africa should reach between 550 and 600 million by 2050. It is the youngest region of the world. Also, with about 5 percent of the world’s population, with an area covering over 40 percent of sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa is the most densely populated on the continent.

The diverse socio-cultural dimension of development should be a necessary building block for establishing peace and security in the region. Drawing strength from its past, leaders of the community have been making sacrifices to keep the shape of the political structure of the region. In 1976, Cape Verde, one of the two Lusophone countries in the region joined ECOWAS, and in December 2000 Mauritania withdrew its membership, having a

At all times, ECOWAS chief executive officers presiding either as Executive Secretaries or Presidents, deferred to the supreme organ of the community-the Authority of the Heads of State of Government for guidance. This body is usually headed by a Chairman. There have been 28 such Chairmen between 1978 to 2015.

0 USD Abuja CF 3201 Abc road Contract , 40 hours per week Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional grouping with 15 Member States in West Africa (three landlocked and one island) with a population of about 300million and an annual economic growth rate of around 6%. The ECOWAS Commission is one of the eight Regional Economic Communities supporting the African Union to coordinate the implementation of continental and regional integration and development programmes in the West African region. We are currently seeking to employ suitably qualified candidates to fill the vacant position below:

Job Title: Accountant (Payables & Advances) Reference: ECW-FIN-REC/P/001/2017 Location: ECOWAS Commission, Abuja, Nigeria Department: Finance Directorate: Finance Grade: P3 Supervisor: Principal Accountant Duration: Two years (with extension subject to “Staff Regulation” of the ECOWAS Commission, satisfactory performance and availability of funds) Job Objective

Reporting directly to the Principal Accountant (Accounts payable), the Accountant has a responsibility for the execution of financial policies and regulations in the area of Accounts Payable and other contract expenditure processing including payment of advances and update of related books of accounts for the ECOWAS Commission.

General Description

A major responsibility of this position is supervising staff to review invoices as well as check payment requests;
Sort, organize and match bills and check demands;
Set invoices up for payment;
Monitor Institution accounts to ensure payments to be up to date;
Resolve bill discrepancies;
Vendor document maintenance;
Respond to vendor enquiries;
Put together and process Institution accounts payable check, reconciliation of obligations;
Prepare analysis associated with accounts;
Produce monthly reports;
Assist in month end and annual closing.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Responsible for creating and maintaining all vendor master records in the financial system;
Supervise and train Accounts Payable staff for maximum efficiency and output;
Review the work of Payables staff to ensure all payables are properly documented, properly approved, coded to active and valid codes in accordance with the ECOWAS Financial Regulations and the Manual of Accounting Procedures;
Act as liaison between Vendors, Consultants, Employees and/or Internal Sectors/Departments and Accounts Payable within the Finance Directorate and offer impeccable customer service;
Review/reconcile vendor statements on a regular basis;
Prepare and submit monthly reports for management review;
Investigate Vendor, Consultant and Employee inquiries and track down delinquent invoices;
Process all employee/consultant claims for travel-related and other expenses;
Monitor ageing and due dates of payables and arrange to account and pay in a timely manner;
Ensure accurate and timely filing of all AP related vouchers and records to enable easy retrieval of documents and ensure proper archiving of prior fiscal year documents;
Retrieve and furnish all relevant vouchers and details for internal and external audits.

Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting (or equivalent qualification) with additional 5 years of relevant record of professional experience. Being a professional accountant (CPA, ACCA, CIMA, CA etc.) will be an added advantage.
A higher degree will reduce the number of years of experience to three (3);
Excellent verbal and written communication skills (fluent) in one of the official languages of the ECOWAS Community (English, French and Portuguese). Good working knowledge of a second Community language will be an added advantage.
Excellent knowledge of financial accounting principles and concepts including the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). Experience with EU Pillar Assessment on Internal Control and Accounting will be an added advantage.
Good knowledge of general aspects of financial management software and of at least one ERP software. Previous specific experience with SAP will be an asset.
Ability to operate standard Microsoft office software (Word, Excel, Power Point, Access).
Good inter-personal skills and team working ability necessary to enable effective interaction in performing key financial activities of other team members and supervise their works, including peers. Proven record of experience in multicultural environments will be an added advantage.
Ability to set and meet deadlines including strong ability to manage multiple tasks to completion and with set deadlines.
Ability to make recommendations on key financial and managerial issues.

Language:

Must be fluent in one of the official languages of the Commission; English, French and Portuguese. A working knowledge of another would be an advantage.

Interested and qualified candidates should download the “Application Form” below, fill the form and send it as an e-mail attachment along with their CV’s to: [email protected]

Click here to download Application Form (Ms Word Format)

2017-08-29

Accountant (Payables & Advances) at The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) 190 views0 applications

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