Background
AGRA is an African-led, farmer-centered, and partnerships-driven institution focused on putting smallholder farmers at the centre of the continent’s growing economy by transforming agriculture from a solitary struggle into a thriving business. As the sector that employs most of Africa’s people, nearly all of them small-scale farmers, AGRA recognizes that developing smallholder agriculture into a productive, efficient, and sustainable system is essential to ensuring food security, poverty reduction, and driving equitable growth across the continent. In AGRA’s 3.0 strategy (2023-2027), AGRA plans to influence and leverage its partners to build a robust enabling environment where private sector thrives, and all smallholder farmers are empowered to produce sufficient and healthy food. AGRA’s vision is therefore “to contribute to an inclusive agricultural transformation across Africa, to reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and adapt to climate change”. Its Mission is “to catalyze the growth of sustainable food systems across Africa, by influencing and leveraging partners to build a robust enabling environment where private sector thrives, and all smallholder farmers are empowered to produce sufficient and healthy food”.
Objectives of the Assignment
This consultancy seeks to design and roll out innovative business models for the scaling up of rural solar powered irrigation systems in Nigeria. The assignment is to provide business support services to Solar powered irrigation innovators and services providers by strengthening their capacity and improving their operational strategies, developing a comprehensive business model that aligns with sustainable development goals and supports renewable energy use, economic development, and improved operational efficiencies and irrigation service delivery to smallholder farmers, with a particular focus in the AGRA priority states of Kaduna, Niger and Nasarawa within the value chains of maize, rice, soybean, and horticulture. This would be achieved through the following specific objectives:
a) Diagnosing the strengths and weaknesses of at least 3 identified solar-powered irrigation innovations/service providers.
b) Develop innovative business models, including appropriate financial modeling and business process strategies for scale up across rural farming communities.
c) Develop strategies for long-term business success, including smallholder friendly business/service delivery models, form partnerships, entering new markets, improving existing and developing new products and services.
d) Design and fine-tune sustainable structures/platforms that help new business/market entrants to become more adaptable to market dynamics, whilst embedding the concept of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) into their business operations.
Scope of Work
The consultant will be responsible for the following activities:
a) Conduct a market analysis on the rural small-holder farmer centered solar-powered irrigation business and the current service providers’ business operations including but not limited to the business model, operational capacity and marketing strategies.
b) Provide professional perspectives and business guidance on the emerging issues and trends to support the scaling of rural solar-powered irrigation business models, management and sustainable market strategies.
c) Lead the design of innovative business models for scaling up rural solar-powered irrigation, ensuring alignment with national priorities and smallholder farmers’ need and constraints.
d) Develop long-term financial modelling system that makes the business model commercially viable, bankable, sustainable, and scalable.
e) Facilitate the adaptation and implementation of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks into business operations, ensuring responsiveness to the local needs and opportunities.
Duration of the Assignment
The work will be conducted over a maximum period of 6 months, and the consultant shall explicitly indicate the level of effort needed for the tasks to be accomplished.
Required skills, Competencies and Experience (Profile of Consultant)
AGRA is looking for a consultant with a strong demonstrable knowledge of and experience in Business Development Services, innovative finance, agribusiness investment and venture capital. The consultant should demonstrate a mastery in creating and framing proven and innovative business models to agricultural SMEs, with special focus on AgTech, Start-Ups and deep understanding of the renewal energy sector. Specifically, the consultant should have the following qualifications:
a) A master’s degree (M.Sc) in Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Agricultural Economics, Development/Environmental Economics, Project Management, Climate Studies or any relevant field.
b) Proven experience of at least 10 years in business development, finance, investment, agribusiness, development economics or related fields.
c) Demonstrated knowledge and experience in entrepreneurship landscape, including rural solar powered enterprise, business proposition, market penetration and venture building in rural and peri urban contexts.
d) Familiar with design thinking, lean approaches and business modeling for networks, and highly reputable in managing operational risks and business mentoring.
e) Understanding of Nigeria’s renewal energy sector including finance and investment gaps.
f) Eligible to work in Nigeria.
DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 11, 2025
