Background
Founded in 2006, AGRA is an African-led institution working across the continent to multiply the scale of agricultural innovations that help smallholder farmers towards increased incomes, better livelihoods, and improved food security. AGRA envisions Africa as a continent that feeds itself and the world while transforming smallholder agriculture from a solitary struggle for survival into a thriving business. AGRA recognizes that African smallholder farmers need uniquely tailored African solutions to their contextspecific agricultural and environmental challenges, enabling them to boost production and access rapidly growing agricultural markets sustainably. AGRA’s overall goal is to sustainably grow Africa’s food systems, and it works closely with African governments, the private sector, development partners, NonGovernment Organizations (NGOs), research institutions, and African farmers, while promoting climate resilience and nutrition, and creating work opportunities specifically for youth.
Rationale for the Assignment
Despite growing awareness of the impacts of climate change on African agriculture, the translation of climate vulnerability assessments and risk analyses into actionable public policies and investment strategies remains limited. While technical outputs such as climate vulnerability maps offer critical insights into exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity, their uptake by decisionmakers is often constrained by weak institutional capacity, lack of alignment with national planning instruments, and fragmented policy environments.
In Ghana and other AGRA focus countries, policymakers face the dual challenge of responding to immediate food security needs while planning for long-term climate resilience. The absence of integrated policy tools that align climate analytics with national development frameworks—such as National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs), and climatesmart agriculture strategies—limits the ability of governments to prioritize climate adaptation investments effectively. This assignment responds to that gap by deploying a Climate Policy Expert to support the integration, domestication, and institutional uptake of AGRA’s climate vulnerability mapping and risk analysis outputs. By aligning these outputs with Ghana’s existing policy and planning systems, the expert will help bridge the divide between data generation and policy application. The consultant will also support evidencebased prioritization of adaptation investments, development of technical briefs and decision-support tools, and facilitation of highlevel policy dialogues. The assignment is a critical component of the broader BMGF-funded initiative, “Strengthening Institutional Response Capacity to Climate Change,” and is aligned with AGRA’s Strategy 3.0 goal of enhancing institutional capacity for resilience planning. It will support national efforts to reduce climate risks, build adaptive capacity in the agriculture sector, and enhance the resilience of vulnerable populations, including women, youth, and smallholder farmers.
Scope of Work
The Climate Policy Consultant will support AGRA’s CASAR Unit and the Ghana country team in ensuring the climate vulnerability mapping and risk analysis outputs are effectively disseminated and applied using a gender-responsive lens. The consultant will be expected to perform the following key tasks and activities:
a) Prepare country-level policy syntheses, technical briefs, and climate-smart investment recommendations based on AGRA’s climate vulnerability assessments.
b) Ensure alignment of dissemination efforts with national priorities and planning frameworks, including NAPs, CSA strategies, and climate-related budget allocations.
c) Present spatially and temporally explicit high-resolution climate risk and vulnerability maps to national and sub-national stakeholders to inform adaptation policies and investment decisions.
d) Support the development of tailored policy briefs, brochures, and local communication materials that effectively translate climate risk data into actionable insights.
e) Organize and conduct national and sub-national policy workshops and stakeholder dialogues to facilitate the domestication and use of climate vulnerability outputs in public planning processes.
f) Co-develop and deliver customized training and engagement modules for national and subnational actors on the use of climate vulnerability data for resilience programming.
g) Coordinate and facilitate capacity-building for public and private stakeholders—including extension officers, CSOs, and development partners—on the use of climate analytics in decision-making.
h) Establish or strengthen climate risk management working groups in Ghana and support genderresponsive climate resilience policy platforms.
i) Contribute to the development of a gender-responsive National Adaptation Plan (NAP) framework that integrates differentiated adaptation needs and capacities of men and women.
j) Submit monthly written progress reports documenting activities, findings, and recommendations and assist in documenting the best practices and lessons learned during dissemination
Duration
The consultancy is expected to be completed within 60 working days over a six-month period.
Qualifications and Experience
The individual consultant should possess the following qualifications, expertise, and experience to successfully deliver the assignment:
a) Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Climate Policy, Environmental Science, Agricultural Economics, Public Policy, Development Studies, or a related field.
b) Minimum of 8 years of professional experience in climate policy, vulnerability assessments, climate adaptation, or related areas, preferably in the agriculture and food systems sector in Africa.
c) Proven experience in translating climate data and vulnerability mapping into policy instruments and actionable recommendations.
d) Demonstrated ability to develop policy briefs, technical notes, and communication materials targeted at government and development stakeholders.
e) Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder workshops and training sessions, including government, civil society, and private sector actors. Experience working with government institutions, development partners, and civil society organizations.
f) Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of high-quality technical report writing. Strong analytical and communication skills, both oral and written.
g) Familiarity with Ghana’s climate policy environment, planning frameworks, and Institutional structures is an added advantage.
h) Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with AGRA teams and external stakeholders.
i) Fluency in English; proficiency in Kiswahili is an added advantage.
j) Ability to work independently and manage multi-stakeholder coordination.
k) Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, data analysis software, and report writing tools.
