Background
AGRA is a not-for-profit organization working with African governments, other donors, NGOs, the private sector, and farmers to improve the productivity and incomes of resource-poor smallholder farmers in Africa. AGRA aims to catalyze an inclusive agricultural transformation in Africa by increasing incomes and improving food security for millions of smallholder farmers in Africa. For more information about AGRA, please visit www.agra.org.
As part of this 3.0 strategy, AGRA has established a 5-year strategic partnership with the Mastercard Foundation to implement the “Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Food and Agriculture” (YEFFA) program in seven (7) countries including Mali. The YEFFA program aims to create 1.5 million work opportunities for young people within agri-food systems by addressing constraints faced by financially disadvantaged youth participating in the sector, strengthening ecosystems and mobilizing both public and private sector support. YEFFA seeks to strengthen the inclusion, capacity and participation of young people in the process of transforming the continent’s agri-food system to catalyze opportunities for dignified and fulfilling employment for them, particularly for young women and disadvantaged groups.
Key Responsibilities
AGRA will provide the necessary documentation on the program and activities in Mali and will facilitate engagement with certain partners. It is up to the IMTF technical expert to develop methodology and strategy to achieve the objectives of the consultancy and deliver the expected results.
Management and coordination – to collaborate with the Country and IMTF teams to:
Technical Expertise
Deliverables and Expected Outcomes
At the end of the consultancy period, the IMTF technical expert is expected to achieve the following deliverables:
a. Strengthen the capacity of targeted youth-led MSMEs to enable them to reorganize supply chains around quality and reliability, moving from fragmented, low-margin trade to structured, quality-driven markets that reward youth and smallholders and drive inclusive growth.
b. Unlock US$ 1 million from financial institutions for youth MSMEs and facilitate access for youth to trade 50,000 MT of produce through structured market linkages.
c. Targeted youth-led MSMEs gain access to premium regional and international markets that require ISO standards and certification.
d. Targeted youth-led MSMEs and youth-led aggregation enterprises strengthened to play the vital first-mile role of cleaning, drying, bagging, and aggregating raw materials for structured supply chains.
e. Existing digital platforms enhanced to curate and provide timely and reliable market information to young farmers and cooperatives including FENAJER.
f. Youth-led and young women-led MSMEs enrolled on digital platforms including value4Her, FENAJER and FENAFER.
The consultant will work closely with the AGRA team as well as a range of stakeholders in the youth ecosystem and the different nodes of the value chains. Secondary data and information will enrich the delivery of this assignment by providing additional context to the task. Additionally, the IMTF technical expert is expected to undertake case studies of best practices for youth ecosystem development, job creation, market systems, inclusive finance as well as private sector and enterprise development to contribute to the knowledge base of the Centre of Technical Expertise within AGRA.
The consultant will develop a detailed approach/methodology to deliver on each of the objectives outlined above and submit it for approval by AGRA.
Reports will be submitted in both English and French and stakeholder engagements will be carried out in both languages depending on the audience, hence the IMTF technical expert should be able to communicate fluently in both English and French.
Location and Nature of the Assignment
The IMTF technical expert will work face-to-face with the AGRA team in Mali. The assignment will require on-site intellectual production at the country office as well as extensive field trips to the target regions of Segou, Sikasso and Koulikoro to have engagements with key partners and stakeholders.
Duration
The assignment will be conducted over a period of 6 months and the IMTF technical expert shall explicitly indicate the level of effort needed for the various tasks to be accomplished.
Qualifications and Experience
a. Education and Qualification
A master’s degree or higher degree in economics, agricultural economics, or finance. A PhD will be an asset.
b. Experience, Skills and Competencies
At least 10 years of relevant experience in technical assistance, inclusive market systems approach, agricultural and livestock value chain analysis and development, market analysis, private sector engagement, financial inclusion, and project management in Mali or the West African sub-region.
Expertise in priority value chains (maize, rice, livestock and horticulture) will be an asset.
Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of inclusive market access and access to finance, the challenges and opportunities for the socioeconomic integration of youth in agriculture, and the inclusive transformation of the food system.
Proven skills and experience in managing development and business project cycles, with a focus on project design, market research, inclusive market systems approach, and private sector engagement.
Excellent stakeholder management skills, including leadership of the multi-stakeholder framework of agricultural value chains, communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to work with diverse teams and partners.
Fluency in English and French is required.
DEADLINE: OCTOBER 13, 2025
