Textile and Garment Senior Advisor

Focus of the Role

The President and Government of Ghana have a vision of a ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ through job creation and value addition of its natural resources. This vision was captured in the post-pandemic economic recovery plan Ghana Covid-19 Alleviation and Revitalisation of Enterprises Support (CARES) that runs to 2024 and aims to transform the economy.

The Ghana CARES Programme’s key flagships include to support commercial farming, develop the digital economy and build Ghana’s manufacturing sector. This is to provide incomes and jobs to Ghanaians, including the 300,000 youths entering the job market every year, and create value addition in Ghana through industrialisation.

In support of this agenda, TBI works with government in the strategic sectors of agro-processing, textile and garment and new technologies. We aim to support government package bankable projects in those sectors to attract private investments that will create quality jobs, livelihoods and contribute effectively to Ghana’s growth. To contribute to our economic and investment team, TBI is seeking a Textile and Garment (T&G) Senior Advisor to be based in the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), working closely with the Minister, Deputy Ministers, Chief Director, Directors, and other key stakeholders to implement priority initiatives in the sector.

The role will focus on the development of the T&G industry in Ghana. MoTI is working with partners to develop a T&G policy that will give the vision for the sector in Ghana and frame discussions with investors as well as partners.

The Advisor will be part of a growing TBI team embedded in various agencies of the government of Ghana, working on investment, agriculture, digitalisation and health. This is an initial, renewable fixed term role of one year and can be negotiated for 2 years for the right profile. We are also considering shorter term or part-time applications from consultants, who would need to be able to spend at least 50% of their time working with MoTI physically. Please specify your availability in your application.

This is an initial 12 months  fixed term employment.

Key Responsibilities

Policy and implementation (30%)

• Consolidate information on the current situation, the potential / opportunities, and the key challenges for the global T&G industry.
• Assess critical gaps in Ghana’s offering to the T&G industry and support government to identify specific reforms, investments and actions needed to fill those gaps.
• Input into the development and validation of Ghana’s new T&G policy being drafted by MoTI with support from its partners.
• Support government to problem-solve and coordinate the implementation of the new T&G policy being drafted.

Investment promotion and facilitation (60%)

• Identify and support the development of bankable opportunities that help package Ghana’s T&G offer to investors, exploring Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and industrial parks in particular.
• Reach out to potential strategic investors to promote T&G in Ghana, facilitating introductions to buyers, manufacturers and other strategic partners.
• Ensure a strong feedback loop between the industry and government officials, facilitating the development of investment within the framework of Ghana’s T&G policy.
• Support follow up of discussions with investors and input into MoTI negotiations with the industry to ensure the interests of Ghana are upheld and the framing of the T&G policy is followed.

Additional duties (10%)

• Bespoke support and advice as relevant to the Minister and Chief Director on policies and incentives to develop new industries and attract FDI, even outside T&G.
• Coordinate closely with other TBI advisors and contribute to TBI Ghana’s objectives.
• Support the Country Head, Deputy Country Head and other team members with team strategy, quarterly and annual reporting, monitoring and evaluation.

Person Specification

We are looking for an outstanding individual with a proven track record of delivery and T&G industry development in the public or private sectors.

• Significant  experience working in the global fashion industry, textile manufacturing, garment manufacturing, supply chain sourcing, retailing, or in economic development, industrialisation or investment promotion in emerging markets especially in Africa and / or similar contexts.
• Existing strong network in the global T&G industry, whether on the retail, brand or manufacturing side.
• Experience facilitating or working with companies to set up factories to manufacture for export and / or exposure to industrial parks and SEZs in emerging markets will be an asset.
• Excellence in identifying and resolving project implementation bottlenecks with demonstrable capacity for follow through and delivering of results.
• An ability to work independently, be entrepreneurial, think strategically and translate strategies into delivery plans on the ground, with emphasis on attention to details; with excellent analytical, organizational, communication and management skills.
• Effective inter-personal and leadership skills. Team player with an ability to develop and foster relationships with government counterparts, with the industry and across a large organization, including with virtual teams.
• Excellent writing, presentation skills and verbal communication skills. Working knowledge of French would be an added advantage.
• A master’s degree in business, supply chains, logistics, public policy, economics, finance, engineering or other relevant fields.

About The Institute

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a mission-driven not for profit organisation. We exist to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies. We work hard, every day, to make a difference. When governments work well they are able to create economic and social change in a way that promotes fairness, social justice and opportunity. We work relentlessly to support leader and governments with the challenges they face. Giving them practical solutions and actionable insights, that once implemented, can be transformative for their people  

We do this within two connected divisions: 

 Government Advisory 

Our Government Advisory teams work directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It works with a variety of partners and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia.

 Policy Futures 

Our Policy Futures work encompasses three broad areas: 

• Renewing the Centre: developing a bold and innovative domestic policy programme to help renew the centre ground of British politics; 
• Tech and Public Policy: exploring the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the technological revolution; and 
• Extremism Policy Unit: creating solutions designed to tackle the threat of extremist ideologies in the UK and around the world. 

As an organisation, the core beliefs we all embrace are: 

• Open and Progressive: you’ll believe in the value of teamwork 
• Bold and Pragmatic: you’ll approach everything you do with integrity and authenticity 
• Optimistic Changemaker: you’ll be focused on results 

TBI believes embracing diversity and inclusion make us a better place to work.  It’s our goal to reflect everyone in society and we actively welcome applications from individuals and groups who are under-represented in the workplace. We celebrate difference be it ethnicity, religion, age, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. We will only ever assess you on your abilities and fit for a role. We’re happy to discuss any adjustments you need to ensure a level playing field during recruitment and, if you\'re successful, discuss any adjustments you might need to thrive in your role.