Vacancy: Communications Officer

Company Profile

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. 

To find out more about IITA, visit our websites at http://www.iita.org.

Job Description

• Duty Station: Accra, with field work travels to project sites across the cocoa growing belt of Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Cameroon.


• Terms of appointment: This is Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position. Initial appointment is for One year with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon individual performance and the availability of funding.

The Position

The Communications Officer will lead outreach to IITA’s strategic consortium partners/stakeholders to ensure our activities are properly promoted and communicated. He/she will be responsible for the management and implementation of the communication strategy of the CocoaSoils programme in IITA and its partners among others.

Primary Responsibilities

The Communications Officer will coordinate the promotion of public image of activities under the CocoaSoils Project, which may include the publication of news and press releases, brochures and/or related materials and other communications materials.

• Manage sponsor reporting including project proposals, interim updates and final reports


• Manage the production of regular reporting including the annual report, newsletters, updates as well as any ad hoc report as required


• Implement our communications strategic plan


• Design fliers, brochure, profiles, infographics, advertisements, calendar, logos and any other graphics as needed


• Review and refine existing communication channels and strategize and implement new channels and marketing campaigns to broaden our support network and effectiveness


• Manage social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the website blog


• Update website content on WordPress

Required Skills or Experience

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in Communications, Journalism, Community Outreach, Public Relations, International Studies and/or a related field


• University degree required. Master’s is degree preferred


• Excellent communication skills (both written and oral)


• Experience working with Government officials, Civil Society Organizations and Community Based Organizations


• Experience working with [Funding partners if any] and/or its development partners


• Experience utilizing social media tools and managing online content


• Ability to communicate well in French will be an advantage


• Must work well under pressure and generally outgoing and comfortable meeting new people. Due to the nature of the work he/she must be accurate, flexible, enthusiastic, and responsible.