Request for expression of interest Individual Consultant as expert in Activities Mainstreaming to carry out this fixed-term assignment of “determining the modalities for incorporating the relevant activities of the Agriculture Fast Track Fund (AFT) into the operational activities of the African Development Bank (AfDB) – Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire,

Context :

  1. The Agriculture Fast Track Fund (AFT) of the African Development Bank is seeking to engage an Individual Consultant as expert in Activities’ Mainstreaming to carry out this fixed-term assignment of “determining the modalities for incorporating the relevant activities of the Agriculture Fast Track Fund (AFT) into the operational activities of the African Development Bank (AfDB) for wider benefits.”
  1. AFT now invites Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the above-described services. Interested consultants shall provide information (documents, reference to similar service, experience in similar assignments, etc.) on their qualifications and experience demonstrating their ability to undertake these assignments.
  2. The eligibility criteria, the establishment of a short list and the selection procedure shall be in conformity with the African Development Bank’s Procurement Policy for Bank Group Funded Operations, approved by the Bank’s Boards on 14 October 2015, and available on the Bank Website at http://www.afdb.org. Please, note that interest expressed by an individual Consultant does not imply any obligation on the part of the Grant Recipient to include it in the shortlist.
  3. The estimated duration of services is one (1) month (30 calendar days) and the estimated starting date is 5 August 2019.
  4. Interested Consultants may obtain further information and Terms of Reference (TOR), at the address below during official working hours: 08.00hrs – 18.00hrs GMT;
  5. Expressions of interest must be received at the address below no later than Tuesday, 30 July 2019 at 00hrs GMT and specifically mentioning: “ACTIVITIES ON MAINSTREAMING”.

For the attention of :

Cécile M. KONE

Assistant, AFT/AHAI.0

Tel +225.20.26.56.20

Email: M.KONE@AFDB.ORG

TERMES OF REFERENCE (TOR)

SHORT-TERM CONSULTANT EXPERT ON

ACTIVITIES MAINSTREAMING

Introduction :

  1.  The Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department (AHAI) of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group’s is responsible for the operations and investments in Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, incorporating environmental concerns, as well as promoting development of agro-industries to increase productivity and competitiveness.
  2.  In May 2013, following a Multi-donors support, AHAI established an Agriculture Fast Track Fund (AFT), a Multi-donor Trust Fund, contributed by the Governments of the United States of America (USAID), Denmark (through DANIDA), and Sweden (through Sida). A Coordinating Unit (AFT-CU) within AHAI manages the AFT.
  3.  The mission of the AFT is to provide a Project Preparatory Facility and increase the number of investment-ready infrastructure projects and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) by defraying front-end project development costs and risks that commercial developers or Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) are unable to shoulder alone. The intention is to establish a demand-driven, efficient Fund that will ‘fast track’ promising agricultural ideas and businesses into bankable investments. AFT provides grants to investors to underwrite the costs of technical assistance necessary for projects to become bankable. Funded activities include, but are not restricted to, scoping assessments, feasibility studies, market analyses, community consultations, environmental, social impact assessments, and other project development activities. The fund targets a broad range of agriculture infrastructure projects spanning the entire value chain – from production to market. These can emanate from the private or public sector and from local or international businesses, including other Development Finance Institutions (DFIs). In addition, the AFT actively liaises with like- minded facilities to leverage support for eligible projects.
  4.  At present, the AFT is open to supporting investments in 10 African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania.
  5.  Following the completion of the implementation of the pioneer Phase of AFT, 2013- 2018, the AFT review was carried out in June 2018 “to determine extent the AfDB strategies and operational procedures have worked in supporting the AFT, review the associated challenges, draw relevant lessons, and make recommendations for better performance going forward.” Part of the review outcome was the need to determine the modalities for incorporating the AFT activities into the “mainstream” of the African Development Bank’s operations.
  6. Consequently, AHAI is seeking to engage an Expert in Activities’ Mainstreaming to carry out this fixed-term assignment of “determining the modalities for incorporating the relevant activities of the Agriculture Fast Track Fund (AFT) into the operational activities of the African Development Bank (AfDB) for wider benefits.”

 

 

Purpose and specific tasks of the consultancy :

  1. With due attention to sustainability, the purpose of the Consultancy is to review the goal and operations of the Agriculture Fast Track Fund (AFT) to determine how valuable and relevant it has assisted in unlocking agriculture finance and investment, and how its relevant activities could be mainstreamed into the operations of the African Development Bank for wider benefits.
  2.   Specifically, the consultant(s) shall:
  • Understudy the relevant documents establishing the AFT (including the Memo Establishing AFT and AFT Operational Guidelines as amended) to get a clear understanding of the Fund’s goal and objectives;
  • Study and draw inferences from the Report of the Professional Independent Consultants’ Review of the Agriculture Fast Track Fund (AFT) of June 2018;
  • Review operations of the three Key financing instruments or windows of the African Development bank (namely the ADB window, ADF window, and NTF window);
  • Identify areas of alignment among the goals and objectives of AFT and those of the Bank, as defined in the operations of the 3 Key Instruments;
  • Make recommendations on modalities and policy options for mainstreaming/integrating AFT into the Bank’s core activities for wider benefits;
  • Perform any other duty pertinent to the assignment as may be assigned by the Supervising Manager.

Qualification & Experience :

The candidate must have a minimum of a Master’s degree in Project Development, Project Financing, Business Management, Banking/Finance, Economics, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Development, or any other related field. A Ph.D. would be an added advantage. In addition, he/she must have at least 10 years professional working experience in the Agribusiness Project Management, Financing of Commercial Agro-industry, or Agri-business Investments, as well as private sector agribusiness development in African. Furthermore, the position requires good knowledge of and experience in mainstreaming activities in agriculture and rural development sectors. Other skills, knowledge and experience desired include:

  • a) Experience in both preparing and evaluating agro-industry and agri-business financing proposals (e.g., due diligence processes);
  • b) Experience in implementing deals for agro-industry and agri-business investments across a range of potential capital sources including, but not limited to, commercial banks, development finance institutions, and private equities;
  • c) Experience in advising agribusiness entrepreneurs on the financial structuring of investments and in negotiating with financiers;
  • d) Networking; facilitation skills; ability to work in teams; good interpersonal, communication and project management skills; resourcefulness, attention to details and client orientation;
  1. Previous experience and exposure, working with African Development Bank, World Bank or any of the DFIs or on multi-donor Trust Funds such as the AFT, preferably in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • f) In-depth knowledge of results-based management and the development of results-based management frameworks;
  • g) Computer literacy and ability to use standard Microsoft applications;
  • h) Ability to communicate effectively in writing and verbally in English and/or French language with a working knowledge of the other.

Deliverables & outputs :

The Consultant will provide the following deliverables and outputs:

  • An inception report that will detail the approach that the Consultant intends to use to achieve the content of the Terms of Reference. This will be delivered within the first one week of the commencement of the assignment.
  • A 20-page well-written and edited report that covers all the elements of the Terms of Reference.
  • Annex documents in support of the reports mentioned above.

 

Reporting Arrangements :

The Consultant will report to the Lead Agricultural Economist (Special Initiatives)/AFT-AHAI Oversight Coordinator.

Evaluation Criteria :

Candidates will be assessed against the following:

  • a) Extent of relevant experience in agricultural enterprises, rural business, value chain, marketing, competitiveness and micro-finance development in African Countries.
  • b) In-depth of understanding of the rural business development with specific reference to producer-buyer linkages and rural SMSE management in Africa.
  • c) Demonstrated ability to work effectively with the public and private sectors organisations and farmer’ associations and NGOs;
  • d) Knowledge of business plan preparation and ability to prepare financial statements;
  • e) Demonstrated ability to plan and implement field projects in developing countries.
  • f) Quality of both oral and written communication skills in English and/or French Languages;
  • g) Strong talent for developing conclusions and recommendations.
  • h) Computer skills

Duration /Timeline :

The consultancy is a fix-time assignment. The Consultant should complete the review and provide the final report within one (1) month (30 calendar days). The expected date of commencement is 5th August 2019 and the ending date will be 4th September 2019.

Duty Station :

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

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