The Ghana Grains Council (GGC) is a private sector organization comprising of grain value chain actors, including farmers, warehouse operators, agro-food processors, financial institutions, commodity marketers, etc. Since its inception in 2010, the GGC has developed an enabling environment including warehouse certification, rules and regulations, engaging collateral management services, training of users, etc. to enable it set up and manage a Warehouse Receipt System.

In December 2012, the Ghana Grains Council launched the first Regulated Warehouse Receipt in Ghana; the first of this kind in West Africa sub-region with financial and technical support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Ghana Agricultural Development Value Chain Enhancement Program (ADVANCE).

Since its commencement, the GGC Warehouse Receipt has focused on maize, a key food security crop in Ghana as part of a package of innovation that has modernized and enhanced the efficient marketing of this crop. The Warehouse Receipt System has played a very important role in the development of the maize value chain by enabling GGC member producers, traders and processors to hold stock back till the lean season, allowing them to access markets on more equitable terms, and enhancing the efficiency of the entire maize value chain.

So far over 29,000MT of maize have been stored under the GGC Warehouse Receipt Program. The use of a Warehouse Receipt allows GGC members to deposit their grains in a GGC certified warehouse and to meet short term need for cash by borrowing from a GGC member bank or other member lending institutions.

It has enabled the many GGC member small holder farmers in particular to avoid selling their grains immediately after harvest when the supply of the commodity is usually highest and sometimes result in low prices.  Warehouse receipts have also helped address the problems of price volatility and lack of quality standards usually attributed to market liberalization in the Ghana grain industry.

In order for GGC Warehouse Receipt System to continue to be more useful and serve the needs of the GGC members, periodically reviewing the system then becomes a pre-requisite to serve as basis for improvement. That is,  review  rules and regulations of the Warehouse Receipts; extent of the receipts to retain its key purpose( as secured collateral);  Warehouse Receipts serving as a functionally equivalent to stored commodities; clear definitions of the rights, liabilities, and duties of each party to a Warehouse Receipt (for example a member farmer, a member bank, or a member warehouse operator) must continue to be clearly defined; ability to transfer the Warehouse Receipts freely by delivery and endorsement, etc.

Within one (1) year of the implementation of the Warehouse Receipt Program, GGC has faced a number of challenges among which are relatively low take-up particularly by small holders, lack of suitable warehouses for certification, inadequate oversight by regulator, low participation by banks, high transaction cost, smallholders limited knowledge on how receipts works, high cost of establishing and running warehouses, difficulty in finding suitable markets for receipts, etc.

Job Summary

The Ghana Grains Council is an industry membership association of private sector firms working in or providing services to the grains industry in Ghana. It has a growing and diverse membership including farmer based organizations, traders/aggregators, food and feed processors, agricultural input suppliers, collateral management companies, bank and non-bank financial institutions and other firms interested in the welfare and development of Ghana's grains industry.

The Ghana Grains Council (GGC) has three mandate:

•   Development and management of a Regulated Warehouse Receipts System (WRS).
•   Advocating on behalf of its members to the relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies;
•   Engaging in activities that increase the competitiveness of smallholder dominated grains industry in Ghana.

GGC has a regulatory framework for the management and tracking of certified warehouses and the grains stored in them, developing of warehouse receipting software and is coordinating with several donor support to ensure that new warehouse constructions conform to GGC standards. GGC is also working closely with the Ministry of Food & Agriculture (MOFA), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), the Ghana Commodity Exchange secretariat and consultants towards the finalization of the draft National Warehouse Receipt Law and the Ghana Commodity Exchange Law for its establishment. GGC is currently being supported by the USAID funded Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE) project, the BUSAC Fund, AGRA, GIZ- Market Oriented Agriculture Program (MOAP), etc.

The MD's position will be contracted as a long term Technical and Managerial assistance to GGC. S/he is expected to ensure an expanded and continued revenue inflow for GGC from fees, dues, consultancy services and external sources to ensure continued operations and eventual financial self-sufficiency.

Corporate Planning

•   Create annual operating plans that support strategic direction set by the Board and correlate with annual operating budgets; submit   annual   plans   to   the   Board   for approval
•   Collaborate with the Board to define and articulate the Council's vision and develop strategies for achieving that Vinson
•   Develop and monitor strategies for ensuring the long-term financial viability of the Council
•   Develop future leadership within the Council

Management

•   Promote a culture that reflects the Council 's values, encourages good performance, and rewards productivity.,
•   Hire, manage, and fire the human resources of the Council according to authorized personnel policies and procedures that fully conform to current laws and regulations
•   Oversee the operations of  the Council and manage its compliance with legal and regulatory requirements
•   Create and maintain procedures for implementing plans approved by the Board of Directors
•   Ensure that staff and Board have sufficient and up-to-date information.
•   Evaluate the Council's and the staff's performance on a regular basis

Financial Management:

•   Oversee staff in developing annual budgets that support operating  plans and  submit budgets for the Board's approval.
•   Prudently manage the Council's resources within budget guidelines according to the Council's financial regulations.
•   Ensure that staff observe  all  appropriate accounting procedures in compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting  Principles (GAAP).
•   Provide prompt, thorough, and accurate information to keep the Board appropriately informed of the Council's financial position

Marketing and Public Relations:

•   Manage advertising opportunities.
•   Organize the availability of Council members for media/PR events as necessary.
•   Oversee content, production and distribution of all marketing and publicity  materials, (posters, programs, flyers, mail outs, brochures, etc) relevant stakeholders.
•   Manage press development; co-ordinate the invitation of potential development partners.

Relationships

•   Serve as the primary spokesperson and representative for the Council,
•   Ensure that the Council "and its mission, programs, and 'services  are consistently presented in a strong,  positive  image to relevant stakeholders.
•   Actively advocate for the Council, its activities/programs and its programmatic efforts.
•   Act as a liaison between the Council and stakeholders, building relationships with peer organizations when appropriate.

Programmatic Effectiveness

•   Oversee the design, delivery, and quality of programs and services.
•   Stay abreast with current trends related to the  organization's  products  and  services and anticipate future trends likely to have an impact on its work.
•   Collect, - analyze and evaluate information that measure the success of the Council's program efforts; refine or change programs in response to that information.

Fund Raising

•   Serve as  a  primary person In donor relationships and the person to make one-on-one fund raising solicitations.
•   Develop fund raising strategies with the Board and support the Board in fund raising activities.
•   Oversee staff in the development and implementation of fund raising plans  that support strategies adopted by the Finance Committee.
•   Oversee staff in the timely submission of grant applications and progress reports for funders.

Revenue Generation:
The Managing Director will:

•   lead the Council to prepare project proposals towards bidding for service contracts.
•   lead initiatives to diversify revenue generation towards sustainability of the Council.

Operations

•   Ensure efficient operation of Ghana Grains Council Regulated  Warehouse  Receipt System (WRS).
•   Develop operational plans with GGC staff, and implementation of  annual strategic work plans and performance indicators.
•   Review GGC strategies and business plan annually in consultation with the Board, modify realistically for sustainability, manage human, financial and material! resources for efficient and effective performance of GGC team.
•   Manage the Council's resources prudently and transparently.
•   Expand and sustain broad based membership.
•   Maintain relationships with appropriate Government Ministries and Development Partners to ensure sound, reasonably rapid growth, and transparent management of the WRS, and facilitate further private sector investment in warehouse construction.
•   Closely   work       with    GGC   Board   and development partners to ensure revenue flows from fees, services rendered, and grants sufficient to cover all GGC operating expenses.
•   Negotiate favorable    donor funds for the construction of new warehouses by GGC members and the financing of warehouse receipts.
•   Timely report to the Board and Donors of the GGC according to agreed timelines.
•   Carry out other activities deemed fit for the growth of the Council.

Reporting
The successful candidate will report to the Board of the GGC. The MD will keep all Donor Agencies, lead persons or his /her representative appraised of GGC activities.

Qualification Required & Experience

•   Graduate degree in business management finance, economics, administration or other relevant degree.
•   Good knowledge in warehouse receipting and/or commodity exchanges.
•   Ghana experience strongly preferred.
•   At least seven (7) years senior management experience of private sector or donor-funded projects required
•   Demonstrate entrepreneurial drive and commitment to building a dynamic  and thriving industry association and Warehouse Receipting System.

Location: Accra

How To Apply For The Job

Please send details to the Ag. Executive Secretary via email:

info@ghanagrainscouncil.org

Closing Date: 20 June, 2014