Sightsavers has announced an exciting career opportunity for a Programme Officer – Digital Economic Empowerment based in Accra. This full-time, fixed-term role forms part of a transformative partnership between Sightsavers and Mastercard Foundation under the Digital Futures initiative. The programme seeks to improve access to meaningful employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people with disabilities across Africa, with a strong emphasis on empowering young women.
The initiative aligns with the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy and Sightsavers’ commitment to inclusive development. Over a five-year period, the programme aims to enrol more than 12,200 young people with disabilities into market-relevant training programmes, while also reaching an additional 14,700 individuals through community engagement activities. At least 70% of programme participants are expected to be women, highlighting the project’s focus on gender inclusion and disability rights.
Purpose of the Role
The Programme Officer will play a central role in supporting the planning, coordination, and implementation of activities designed to improve employment and entrepreneurship outcomes for young women and men with disabilities. The successful candidate will work closely with implementing partners, training institutions, employers, policymakers, and digital ecosystem stakeholders to ensure effective programme delivery.
This position is designed for professionals who are passionate about digital inclusion, youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and disability advocacy. The role also requires an understanding of the rapidly evolving digital economy and the opportunities it creates for inclusive workforce participation.
Key Responsibilities
The Programme Officer will contribute to the successful delivery of programme objectives through a wide range of responsibilities, including:
- Providing technical support to partners delivering digital economy and IT training modules.
- Coordinating the establishment and effective operation of IT academies in alignment with programme standards.
- Developing and monitoring implementation plans, budgets, timelines, and deliverables.
- Supporting participant mobilisation and learner retention to ensure successful training completion.
- Engaging government institutions, private sector organisations, civil society groups, and digital ecosystem actors to strengthen inclusive employment pathways.
- Assisting with monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities through data collection, verification, and reporting.
- Supporting financial and administrative processes such as budget tracking, purchase requests, and partner compliance.
- Identifying operational and contextual risks while ensuring safeguarding, data protection, and ethical programme delivery.
The role requires strong organisational and coordination skills, as well as the ability to manage multiple stakeholders and maintain programme quality standards.
Required Qualifications and Experience
Sightsavers is seeking candidates with a strong academic and professional background relevant to development and digital empowerment programmes. Essential qualifications and competencies include:
- A bachelor’s degree in economics, development studies, information systems, business administration, public policy, or a related field.
- Proven experience supporting programme or project implementation in areas such as digital skills development, entrepreneurship, youth employment, financial inclusion, or the digital economy.
- Experience working with donor-funded or multi-partner programmes.
- Knowledge of Ghana’s digital economy landscape and barriers affecting persons with disabilities.
- Strong stakeholder engagement experience with government agencies, NGOs, private sector organisations, and training institutions.
- Excellent communication, analytical, and coordination skills.
- Ability to use programme data for reporting and decision-making purposes.
- Commitment to safeguarding, inclusion, and ethical standards.
- Strong IT proficiency, including Microsoft Excel, Word, email systems, and accounting software familiarity.
Desirable Skills
Candidates with additional experience in emerging digital workforce trends will have an advantage. Preferred expertise includes:
- ICT and digital skills training ecosystems.
- Accessibility-focused programming and assistive technologies.
- Awareness of AI, digital marketing, coding, e-commerce, gig work, and online entrepreneurship trends.
- Experience working with technology hubs, digital academies, or innovation platforms.
These competencies will support the programme’s broader objective of creating sustainable and inclusive digital employment opportunities for young Africans with disabilities.
Recruitment Process and Application Details
Applications for the Programme Officer – Digital Economic Empowerment role must be submitted through the official Sightsavers recruitment portal before 24 May 2026. Candidates are required to upload their CVs and respond to role-specific application questions during the submission process.
The recruitment process is expected to include:
- An initial online assessment task.
- A face-to-face interview scheduled for Thursday, 4 June 2026.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and Sightsavers reserves the right to close the vacancy early if a suitable candidate is identified.
Commitment to Inclusion and Equal Opportunity
Sightsavers continues to position itself as a global leader in inclusive employment practices. The organisation actively encourages applications from women, persons with disabilities, and individuals from underrepresented communities. As a Disability Confident Leader, Sightsavers promotes a workplace culture that reflects diversity, accessibility, and equal opportunity.
The organisation also maintains zero tolerance for harassment, sexual exploitation, abuse, and discrimination. All shortlisted candidates will undergo comprehensive background and safeguarding checks as part of the recruitment process.
This opportunity represents an important step toward advancing disability inclusion and economic empowerment within Africa’s growing digital economy. It offers professionals the chance to contribute to meaningful social impact while helping shape a more inclusive future of work.
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Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications & CVs to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.
