Communications Consultant for Banjul, The Gambia
Start Date: May 12, 2025
Express Interest By: 4/10/2025
Duration: 150
Topics: Not Available
Business Function: Not Available
Skills: Not Available
Language Skills: Not Available
Assignment Location: Gambia
Institution: IDA
VPU: West and Central Africa
Contact Person: Saida Doumbia Gall (sgall@worldbankgroup.org)
Task Description: Background:
The World Bank Group (WBG) is composed of five international organizations that provides financial and technical assistance to client countries, with the goal of fighting extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity on a livable planet. Three of its institutions supporting most African countries include: (i) the International Development Association (IDA), which offers grants and low-interest (concessional) credits to help low-income countries invest in their futures, improve lives, and create safer and more prosperous communities; (ii) the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which supports the growth of the private sector; and (iii) the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), which provides political risk insurance for projects in a broad range of sectors in member countries. The Gambia is a WBG member country and benefits from its support, through a Joint Country Representation (JCR) which includes IDA, IFC, and MIGA.
The External and Corporate Relations Unit for Western and Central Africa (ECRAW) employs an extended team of professionals in World Bank Headquarters and across country offices, including The Gambia, to support the overarching goal of advancing inclusive growth in Western and Central Africa. ECRAW uses the full array of communications tools and methodologies to build awareness and understanding and to mobilize support for development goals. Work programs cover dissemination through traditional and online media, relationship building, analysis of political and project risks, and design of programs to manage those risks. A strategic renewal within ECRAW emphasizes closer alignment with operations in the region, and coordination with the World Bank’s External Affairs network, to ensure its services are critical to regional and corporate priorities, and that they employ state-of-the art communications tools to disseminate information, build understanding, and connect the World Bank to a diverse relevant actors involved in poverty eradication and development.
Recognizing that Africa’s economic and social context is rapidly changing, and that communications technologies have revolutionized the ways that information travels, ECRAW is building a team of dynamic and innovative professionals prepared to use traditional and digital tools, including social media and multi-media production, to shape the debate on development priorities.
In this regard, ECRAW is seeking a Short-Term Communications Consultant (STC) – 150 days — who will support the JCR in planning, developing, and implementing effective communications and outreach strategies to improve operational outcomes, provide political economy analysis as needed, showcase results, as well as raise awareness and understanding about the World Bank Group’s work in The Gambia.
Duties and Accountabilities:
The Short-Term Consultant (STC) will be part of the ECRAW team, and will be based in Banjul, The Gambia. She/He will report to the WBG Resident Representative in The Gambia and to the ECRAW Manager, based in Washington. She/He will work under the supervision of the External Affairs Officer based in Senegal who will mentor, coach and oversee his/her work and coordinate closely with the IFC External Comms Team in Senegal.
The STC’s major responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:
- Strategies: Responsible for planning, designing, and implementing strategies in support of the JCR to promote effective communications (including social media) and engagement with external and internal audiences on WBG-financed operations, research products, and campaigns. Helps determine the most effective content and communications interventions to address challenges and highlight results, and the most effective channels to communicate these.
- Risk management: Responsible for monitoring, tracking, and developing strategies to mitigate reputational risks emerging from WBG investments and projects in the country, with a focus on high-risk operations. She/He will monitor public perceptions in social and traditional media, track shifts in opinion, and respond to inquiries while sharing information with relevant teams and providing updates on project goals and milestones. She/He should be able to interact with operations staff and project teams, organizing meetings with media, civil society, and relevant stakeholders as appropriate.
- Political economy analysis: The STC should be able to take the pulse of the socio-political landscape and development in the country and advise country teams by producing regular political economy analyses and updates, especially during election years and during socio-political crises. She/He should be able to articulate these could affect the WBG JCR’s operating environment.
- Relationships management: She/He should identify key opinion leaders and influential institutions and organizations in The Gambia (civil society, faith-based organizations, business associations, parliamentarians, media outlets, etc.) and develop an engagement strategy to interact with them on a regular basis. She/She is responsible for convening these stakeholder groups for consultations and structured dialogues around WBG-funded projects, knowledge outputs, and country development priorities.
- Communications products: She/He is responsible for planning and delivering a range of communications products on the WBG JCR’s operational goals, results, and knowledge. Outputs include (inter alia) press releases, op-eds, web features, results stories, videos, brochures, Q&As, fact sheets, briefing notes, speeches, etc. In addition, she/He is responsible for updating the WBG’s website for The Gambia.
- Events Coordination: She/He is responsible for coordinating the WBG JCR’s communications activities and events ranging from press conferences to large seminars and town hall meetings, involving external and/or internal audiences.
- Technical and advisory support: She/He will advise WBG managers (mainly the JCR Resident Representative in The Gambia, Country Operations Officers, and the ECRAW Manager) and project teams on trends, news developments, or changing circumstances that may impact the WBG and its work and will help determine strategic responses. She/He will provide regular communication support to WBG operational teams and government implementing agencies to assure that project goals are well-explained and that affected stakeholders are engaged at all stages.
- Media monitoring and analysis (social and traditional media). She/He is responsible for the daily media monitoring and analyzing news articles that are relevant to the WBG presence and activities in The Gambia.
Essential Specialized Skills/Knowledge/Competencies:
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- Master’s degree with 5 years of relevant experience in a relevant discipline (communication, journalism, international affairs, or other related fields)
- Understanding of the development and political context in The Gambia.
- Excellent written and spoken command of English, and the ability to convey complex ideas in a creative, clear, direct, and lively style.
- Proven knowledge of visual communications principles and fluency with design software.
- Strong writing skills and ability to work under minimum supervision to prepare and edit communication products and develop drafts of moderately complex products in a clear, concise, and web-friendly style.
- Acute eye for detail.
- Understands project management concepts sufficiently to propose and develop drafts of communications plans and strategies with minimal supervision; can apply standard project management tools, methodologies, and processes; and is able to identify and mitigate project risks as well as manage project issues.
- Experience working in an international organization and on development issues.
- In-depth knowledge of international trends and political/economic issues related to development.
- Strong diplomatic, interpersonal, and teamwork skills; sensitivity to working in a multicultural environment; ability to engage at different political and social echelons in The Gambia; and well-established media and CSO network.
To Apply:
Please send a current CV and cover letter via email to Saida Doumbia Gall ( sgall@worldbankgroup.org). In the subject line, please put: Application: Short-Term Communications Consultant for The World Bank Country Office in Banjul, The Gambia
All applications must be received by April 10, 2025.
More Information
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