Investment Licensing & Facilitation Expert

Position Summary

Over the past years, the government of Ethiopia has implemented several reform measures. The liberalization and privatization of the economy, including the opening up of the trading sectors for FDI participation, created significant investment opportunities for the private sector-led economic growth and development. In 2021, the government launched the “Ten-Year Development Plan (2021-2030)” that details the strategic path to achieve the home-grown economic reform agenda vision of an economic transformation.

The Ethiopian Investment Commission has pursued a series of investment policies, legal, and institutional measures with the goal of effectively realizing national investment plans and targets proposed under the Ten-Year Plan. Ethiopia's economic development needs and the desired impact of FDI and domestic investment strategies have been put in place to attract foreign direct investment and to develop labor-intensive industries and an export-oriented manufacturing sector. Yet, the transformation of the economy is hampered by organizational and operational limitations. Particular problems include an overstretched capacity of senior personnel, less proactive investment outreach, limited availability of pre-packaged information needed to attract quality investments, and the limited number of qualified human resources pool.

To address some of the constraints, the EIC, in partnership with the GIZ, has developed a project to implement the "Enhancing Targeted Investment Promotion, Retention and Export Facilitation Mechanism" of the Ethiopian Investment Commission. The main objectives of the project are to strengthen institutional implementation capacity, policy reform, proactive promotion, and investment aftercare strategy implementation through enhancing investment licensing procedures, promotion, facilitation, aftercare, and policy dialogue with a focus on private sector engagement capacities of the Ethiopian Investment Commission.

The Expert will be deployed under the Licensing and Registration department of the commission and is expected to strengthen the implementation capacity of the EIC on a broad range of issues, including but not limited to:

• Investment Facilitation and Aftercare: Guide investors through the process of the investment cycle, from responding to initial inquiries, licensing and registration of companies, and to post-establishment operations.
• Digital System Transition Support: Facilitate the shift from manual registration services to the Commission’s new digital investment licensing platform, ensuring seamless adoption and efficient service delivery.
• Investor Guidance on Digital Licensing: Guide investors through the end-to-end digital licensing and registration process, including account creation, digital application submission, document uploads, fee payments, and follow-up on application status.
• Technical Assistance & Troubleshooting: Provide hands-on technical support to investors and EIC staff on navigating the digital licensing system, troubleshooting system-related issues, and coordinating with ICT teams to improve system functionality and user experience.
• Document Verification & Compliance Assessment: Conduct rigorous verification and assessment of documents submitted by new and existing companies, ensuring accuracy, authenticity, and full compliance with EIC licensing standards before granting licenses or renewals.
• On-Hand Service: Provide responsive, real-time support to investors throughout all the investment lifecycle, ensuring their needs are met promptly and effectively. This includes resolving operational issues and offering tailored guidance to enhance their experience.
• Information Preparation and Dissemination: Develop pre-packaged, investor-friendly, and data-driven licensing and registration materials.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Organize and manage all activities and coordination efforts for assigned investment projects, ensuring effective execution and alignment with strategic goals.
  • Keep complete, timely, and accurate records for all licensing and registration applications, ensuring each project has a properly maintained portfolio.
  • Track the status of investor licensing and registration cases, ensuring follow-up, timely processing, and conversion of incoming referrals.
  • Ensure key licensing-related updates from public and private one-stop-shop institutions are followed up on and communicated to investors.
  • Compile and submit monthly updates on licensing cases, bottlenecks, processed applications, and pending issues to management and the project coordination office.
  • Support the shift from manual licensing procedures to the digital registration platform, ensuring investors and staff adapt smoothly to new digital processes.
  • Guide investors through online licensing workflows, including account creation, digital application submission, document uploading, and payment of government fees.
  • Help investors and internal users navigate the licensing system, troubleshoot minor technical issues, and escalate complex cases to the ICT team.
  • Assess the completeness, accuracy, and compliance of documents submitted by new and existing companies before approval or renewal.
  • Proactively observe challenges in licensing procedures and recommend improvements to streamline workflows and shorten processing times.
  • Perform credibility and compliance checks on companies applying for investment licenses or amendments to confirm authenticity and readiness.
  • Offer follow-up services to licensed investors requiring renewals, amendments, reinstatements, or additional facilitation during their operational phase.
• Work with different departments of the EIC to facilitate the organizational flow of investment-related information and services.
  • Provide data, verbatim, and any other content for the development of licensing and registration materials.
  • Organize and coordinate investment licensing and registration digitalization initiatives.
  • Assist the Commission in organizing public-private dialogue and investment licensing digitalization improvement programs implementation.
  • Perform ad-hoc other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Economics, Management, Business Administration, or related.
• Experience: At least three years of proven experience in investment licensing and special economic zones promotion or related roles, preferably in public agencies.
• Keen interest in investment licensing, promotion, and marketing, and should demonstrate knowledge of licensing procedures, market assessment, and facilitation techniques.
• Good understanding of the investment climate in Ethiopia, challenges and opportunities, and reform initiatives undertaken by the government.
• Good understanding of Ethiopia’s economic policies, laws, and investment system, with a broad perspective on how the entire system operates.
• Professional command of written and spoken English and Amharic.
• Collaborative mindset and a team player.
• Excellent computer skills, analytical, and data gathering skills.
• Strong set of personal values, including integrity, honesty, and a desire to be of service.

Skills Required:

• Computer / Software / It / Data
• Economics / Statistics
• Sales / Marketing / Business / Management