REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

TAAT II PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT

AGRICULTURE AND AGRO-INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT

Rue Joseph Anoma, 01 BP 1387 Abidjan 01, Cote d’Ivoire

 

 

BACKGROUND :

  1. The African Development Bank (AfDB) wants to recruit a Consultant to support the preparation of the next phase of the TAAT Project across the project cycle, integrate it within the Bank’s regional public goods framework and support a design that mainstreams TAAT’s contributions into the Bank’s broader Feed Africa portfolio ; 
  1. The African Development Bank’s (AfDB), ‘Feed Africa strategy: 2016 – 2025’ outlines the Bank’s commitment to help drive Africa’s Green Revolution, end hunger, malnutrition, extreme poverty and food imports (estimated at US$35 billion in 2016; US$110 billion by 2025, if nothing is done). Improved agricultural technologies have failed to scale sufficiently in Africa due to reasons that include lack of supporting regional and national policies, limited institutional capacity, weak agricultural extension, poor linkages between research and extension, long technology verification and release systems, focus on national boundaries, and insufficient attention to private sector ; 
  1. Enhancing Africa’s agricultural productivity requires deployment of proven 21st century agri-food production technologies to tens of millions of African farmers to drive the required transformation. Feed Africa’s Technologies for an African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) flagship represents a major continent-wide initiative designed to boost agricultural productivity across the continent by rapidly delivering proven technologies to millions of farmers. At the heart of TAAT is its partnership with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Centers – the world’s largest global agricultural innovation network and provider of agricultural technologies – and its partners in the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and their technical arms (ASARECA, CORAF/WECARD, etc.), National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and sub-Regional Organizations (SROs), among others.

PURPOSE / OBJECTIVES OF ASSIGNMENT :

The Consultant will support the Agriculture and Agro-industry department (AHAI), to formulate, conduct the required analysis, effectively engaged internal and external partners, obtain required information and documentation and help write the required project documents to secure the resources and Board Approval for the TAAT projects. The consultant will support the Task Manager and project team to manage the review and drafting processes, keep track of the processing schedule and provide quality control along the way.

The Consultant will also contribute to the preparation and submissions of documents (e.g., Project Concept Note, and Regional Public Goods Checklist) for the Regional Operations (RO)/Regional Public Goods (RPG) prioritization of upcoming TAAT projects RO/RPG prioritization exercises for project investment resources.

The duties and responsibilities of the Consultant include the following :

  • Provide technical leadership in the design of the TAAT projects, including rolling out TAAT technologies, formulating the logical framework, budget, and other concept documents and reports ;
  • Support the Agriculture and Agro-industry department (AHAI), to formulate, conduct the required analysis, effectively engaged internal and external partners, obtain required information and documentation and help write the required project documents to secure the resources and Board Approval for the TAAT projects ;
  • Liaise, coordinate, and support the preparation and implementation of TAAT-II missions by interfacing effectively with all the stakeholders, including other partnering institutions and the governments ;
  • Support the Task Manager and TAAT project team to manage the review and drafting processes, keep track of the processing schedule and provide quality control along the way ;
  • Draft the missions aide-memoire and the appraisal report of TAAT-II projet ;
  • Draft the proposal for submission (e.g., Project Concept Note, and Regional Public Goods Checklist) for the Regional Operations (RO)/Regional Public Goods (RPG) prioritization 2022 of TAAT-III project ;
  • Support AHAI.2 on the management portfolio; and
  • Perform any other duty pertinent to the role and functions of TAAT as may be assigned by the TAAT Coordinator and Task Manager at the Bank and the Division Manager of AHAI.2 in which the TAAT Flagship Program is located.
  1. In this regard, the Agriculture Research, Production & Sustainability Division (AHAI.2) invites Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the above-described services. Interested Consultants shall provide information on their qualifications and experience demonstrating their ability to undertake this Assignment (CVs, reference to similar services, experience in similar assignments, etc.) ; 
  1. The eligibility criteria, the establishment of a short list and the selection procedure shall be in conformity with the Bank’s Rules and Procedure for the Use of Consultants under projects financed by the Bank Group, available on the Bank Website at http://www.afdb.org. Please, note that interest expressed by a Consultant does not imply any obligation on the part of the African Development Bank to include him/her in the final shortlist ;
  1. Duration of the Assignment: This consultancy is for an initial period of three (06) months subject to renewal ; 
  1. Desired Qualifications : 
  • At least 10 years working experience in development banking operations, five of which must be in Africa ;
  • Strong experience Bank’s project cycle activities including Project Identification, Project Preparation, PCN preparation, Project Appraisal, Negotiations, and Board approval ;
  • Have considerable knowledge and experience working with Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) like AfDB or similar institutions ;
  • Ability to work as part of a team, good interpersonal communication and project management skills, resourcefulness and attention to details ;
  • Working experience within multicultural teams and international organizations or companies and good knowledge of Africa’s social, agricultural and rural development and economic development issues, questions and challenges ;
  • Solid verbal and written communication skills ;
  • Ability to find and communicate accurate information concerning process, policies and procedures of the Bank ;
  • Ability to prepare board documents, management briefs and communicate effectively in English and/ or French ;
  • Ability in the use software and applications commonly used at the African Development Bank, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, SAP, etc.
  1. Selection criteria : The consultant will be selected based on i) qualifications, ii) years of experience and iii) experience of working in developing countries.

Expressions of interest must be received no later than January 7, 2022 at 5pm Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire time and sent to n.korie@afdb.org and copy f.kondo@afdb.org

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