Accountant at the West African Health Organisation (WAHO)

The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) is the health institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with a mandate to ensure the attainment of the highest possible standard and protection of the health of the people in the ECOWAS region.

Within the framework of the Regional “Reproductive Health and REV Prevention Programme in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)”, WAHO and the German Financial Cooperation (Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau / KFW) have agreed to establish a Regional Financing Mechanism for Reproductive Health Commodities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Accountant

Reference No.: FM / TEND / AMI / 2020 / 05 / bk
Location: Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

Introduction
The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) is the specialized Institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responsible for health matters. Its mandate is to provide the highest level of health care delivery to populations in the sub-region. Communicable and non-communicable diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the region; therefore, disease control and the prevention of epidemics are among the priorities of the 15 countries in the ECOWAS region and a central tenet of WAHO activities.

The World Bank has provided grants to ECOWAS for WAHO to implement 03 projects:

• The Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Regional Project (SWEDD)
• The Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement Project (REDISSE)
• The Sahel Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Project (SM/NTD)

The objective of the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Regional Project (SWEDD) is to contribute to the broader goal of reducing vulnerability and improving economic opportunities in the Sahel Region by working across countries and in conjunction with national systems, programs and Projects. Specifically, the project development objective is to promote cross border benefits, regional goods and efficiencies in both demand and supply-side interventions that contribute to accelerating the demographic dividend.

The project has 4 components:

• Improve regional demand for Reproductive, Mother, Newborn and Child Health and Nutrition (RMNCHN) services and increase empowerment for women and adolescents;
• Strengthen regional capacity for availability of RMNCHN commodities and rural midwives;
• Support rural midwifery training institutions in target countries, strengthen their capacity to increase the quantity and quality of midwives;
• Foster political commitment and capacity for policy making and project implementation.

The objective of the Sahel Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Project (SM/NTD) is to increase access to and use of harmonized country-level services for the prevention and treatment of malaria and selected Neglected Tropical Diseases targeting cross-border areas in participating countries in the Sahel region.

The project has 2 components:

• Improve regional collaboration for better results across participating countries;
• Strengthen institutional capacity to coordinate and monitor implementation.

The main objective of the Regional Diseases Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) Project in West Africa is to: Build national and regional inter-sectoral capacities for enhanced collaborative disease surveillance and epidemics preparedness in West Africa by overcoming the weaknesses of the human and animal health systems that hinder efficient surveillance of diseases and response.

The REDISSE project has five (5) components:

• Surveillance and Health Information;
• Laboratory Capacity Building;
• Preparedness and Emergency Response;
• Human Resource Management for effective disease surveillance and epidemic preparedness;
• Institutional Capacity Building, Project Management, Coordination and Advocacy.

Purpose of the Assignment:

• The Accountant will be responsible for the management and custody of all accounting documents relating to the project finances as well as maintaining and reconciliation of bank balances
• He/She will be expected to respect the guidelines and procedures under ECOWAS regulations and the World Bank-funded projects.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensure that all accounting documents are in order and are accurately posted into the ECOLink system promptly and into other accounting software WAHO may set up;
• Monitor transfer payments with the banks and follow up the receipt of swift copies and receipt of funds by recipients;
• Review and verification of Financial Reports of ALL advances made to staff, countries and Partners and monitor the posting through the accounting system;
• Reconcile personal accounts and prepare monthly statements for project staff;
• Prepare reimbursement of expenses to be made to partners;
• Review air tickets itinerary prepared for project related travel (staff/participants) emanating from WAHO Travels;
• Receive bank statements for all banks and prepare bank Reconciliation statements on a monthly basis for submission to the Financial Management System (FMS);
• Maintain Asset Register for ALL assets of the various Projects;
• Ensure proper filing of all supporting documents relating to the operation of the projects;
• Prepare monthly and quarterly financial statements for ALL projects for submission to the FMS;
• Ensure the proper filing of all supported documents for posted transactions;
• Participate in budget preparation, ensure budget compliance and prepare periodic budget/actual reports for all projects;
• Undertake other relevant accounting duties as may be assigned by WAHO Management.

Qualification, Experience and Core Competencies

• Hold at least First Degree in Accounting, Business Administration or related fields from a recognized university;
• Proven knowledge of International Public Sector Accounting (IPSAS) will be an advantage;
• Professional certification such as CPA, ACA, ACCA will be an advantage;
• At least eight (8) years professional experience in accounting including at least two (2) years in a project funded by technical or financial partners (World Bank, African Development Bank, European Union, etc.) or in an international, regional or sub-regional institution;
• The incumbent must have excellent computer skills, knowledge of an accounting software such as SAP will be an advantage;
• Knowledge of the World Bank’s current financial management requirements would be an advantage;
• Be able to work under pressure in a multidisciplinary and multicultural team;
• Fluency in English which is the working language of the World Bank is essential. Knowledge of a second ECOWAS language would be an advantage.

Duration, Location and Nature of Appointment

• This is a WAHO consultancy position supported by donor funds. The appointment is for 1 year subject to a one month probationary period and may be renewable according to availability of funds from the project. Attractive consolidated remuneration packages will be paid
• The Accountant will be based at WAHO Headquarters in Bobo-Dioulasso, BURKINA FASO, but will travel in the ECOWAS region as required.
• WAHO now invites qualified individuals to indicate their interest in providing the services. They should provide information that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services (Cover Letter indicating which of the above positions is of interest, detailed Curriculum Vitae including description of similar assignments, and experience and copies of supporting documents).

Application Closing Date
13th August, 2020.