Job Description
Background and context
AGRA is a farmer-centered, African-led, and partnerships-driven institution that seeks to catalyze agriculture and food systems transformation in Africa. AGRA places smallholder farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economy by transforming farming from a solitary struggle to survive into a viable and growing livelihood for farm-based households. It supports the development of the system and enabling environment that shape smallholder farmers’ ability to prosper. It also seeks to develop agro-processing and the food system so that economic and social transformation can be accelerated, the sector can adapt and mitigate climate change, African farming can become more sustainable, youth and women in particular can be empowered through work opportunities and pulled out of poverty, the sector’s expansion can be truly inclusive, also for marginalized groups, and the sector can become more nutrition sensitive.
AGRA is rolling out an ambitious new 5-year strategy to catalyze the Food System-led Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Africa in 15 countries in West, East, and Southern Africa and create 3 million youth jobs in the process. The new Strategic Plan sets out to catalyze the growth of sustainable food systems across Africa by supporting governments, the private sector and key non-state actors to strengthen the enabling environment, trade, inclusive markets and local capabilities so that smallholder farmers thrive and the private sector – including youth and women owned SMEs - are able to meet their potential and produce sufficient, healthy food and other transformational value-added ago-based products on a continental scale. To achieve its vision, mission, and strategic objectives, AGRA will build on key assets, models, and key lessons accruing from past strategic investments to deliver three core objectives:
One of AGRA’s focus countries is Mali, where AGRA is committed to creating 142,226 youth jobs by the end of 2027. To do this, AGRA plans to support the government and market anchor companies – such as agroprocessors; anchor farms that run smallholder out grower schemes; and traders, financiers and input-companies that invest in smallholder farmer productivity – to accelerate the development of agricultural value chains, growth poles and trade and infrastructure corridors that can ensure the sector in [insert country name] expands rapidly. The objective is to create jobs pre-farm, on-farm, post-farm and in agricultural and agro-processing services, including through green jobs, while also supporting SME growth, attracting major public and private investment, and improving uptake of high yielding, climate-smart and nutrient dense seed varieties. AGRA also aims to strengthen the sustainability of farming through soil management, integrated pest management, crop diversification and rotation, inter-cropping with trees, water management and rural electrification solutions for agriculture and agro-processing. The focus will be on cereals, legumes, fruits, vegetables and livestock.
Objectives
AGRA is seeking an expert in Delivery of Policy and State Capability interventions and in agriculture and food systems transformation in Mali for 6 months. The expert will assist our country team to design and start the implementation of a highly impactful government support programme as part of the implementation of AGRA Mali strategy. This will include design of grants and technical assistance to the government to assist it to accelerate the delivery of its priority agricultural and food systems agenda, as well as to strengthen institutional capabilities in doing so.
Scope of Work
The consultancy is expected to deliver the following tasks:
- Conduct a landscape mapping of the government’s capability to implement its priority agricultural and food systems agenda. This will be extended to the Ministry of National Entrepreneurship, Employment and Vocational Training, the Ministry of Finance and Economy; the General Secretariat of the Presidency and other key economic ministries and agencies such as the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Investment Promotion Agency, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in charge of Civic Education and Citizenship Building
- Bring prior knowledge and further understand the political economy, politics and coordination (intragovernmental, with the private sector and with development partners and non-state actors) and delivery mechanisms needed for rapid delivery on each priority value chain, government flagship project, agricultural corridor and each critical cross-cutting reform area (e.g. fertilizer reform, seed reform, extension reform, land reform)
- Identify the triggers, drivers and champions of change within the government for the delivery of the agricultural and food systems agenda, the political cycle, the political window they have available and how to make the most of it to drive implementation
- Identify how AGRA and its partners in country can better support such champions of change to deliver their agenda, in a synchronized way with other champions of change in other parts of the government, and to strengthen the capability of the ministries, agencies, departments or units that they lead or are part of
- Identify and assess collaboration opportunities by the government with potential anchor firms that can source from smallholder farmers and support them with facilitating access to quality inputs, extension services, processing facilities, and access to domestic and international markets.
- Indicate how to steer government to better rally around the development of value chains, growth poles, corridors, cross-cutting reforms and flagships that have greatest scope for impact for smallholder farmers and for youth job creation in the next 4 years.
- Support the emergence of coordination and delivery mechanisms within government and with key private sector, non-state actors and development partners, anchored to the champions of change and what their preferences are, to accelerate implementation of the agenda.
- Provide analytics of the implication of fiscal reforms of trade and tax regimes and other specific policy gaps for specific value chains to promoting investment in agro-processing industries.
- Support AGRA office in Mali to expedite execution of key programs and activities with governments and departments spanning from Ministries of Agriculture, finance and planning, trade and industry and environment and natural resources among others.
- Ensure that activities led by ministries are delivered on time and in a manger that fast tracks activities of government related to advancing AGRA’s work and governments own agri-food systems changes.
Required Skills, Competencies, and Experience
The consultant should have the following qualifications and experience:
- At least 10 years of experience, working in or with a government on delivery and institutional capacity strengthening, preferably with some in Africa.
- A master’s degree in public administration, management, economics, law or similar area.
- Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of delivery and state capability techniques and approaches such as adaptive management techniques, leadership and mentoring techniques and political economy mapping tools.
- An understanding of economics and market systems is a bonus.
- Proven skills and experience in working well with senior government officials for the purpose of ensuring implementation.
- Proven experience navigating government systems and political and political economy (governmentbusiness relations) challenges and situations.
- Excellent stakeholder management, communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to collaborate with diverse teams and partners.
- Strong relational and team building skills.
- Fluency in French is required, and knowledge of English is advantageous.
