Background
Increased intra-African food trade can contribute to food systems transformation by providing a channel for adapting and reducing the impacts of shocks, strengthening the competitiveness of food markets and supporting inclusiveness and sustainability in food value chains. Currently, Africa is heavily dependent on imports and spends a significant amount of money to feed its population. According to the African Union, Africa currently imports approximately 40% of its food. In 2019 for example, Africa expended US$43 billion on food imports, and with the population growth rates and increasing demand for food, this is projected to increase to US$90 billion annually by 2030 . This leaves the Continent vulnerable to foreign sources, risking food insecurity when global supply chains are disrupted. Facilitating socioeconomic activity along the agri-food value chains through increased trade can have significant impacts on income, livelihoods, and the welfare of millions of Africans.
Ensuring the right policies for the transformation of food trade and food systems is important to provide incentives and remove barriers that shape the behavior of actors towards desired outcomes. Predictable, transparent, and coherent food trade policies that promote innovation in food trade are required to transform food systems to achieve food and nutrition security. In addition, improving policy coordination and harmonization among systems, sectors, and actors will be key to transforming food systems.
Food trade in Africa is at a critical juncture with trading starting in January 2021 under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The AfCFTA, which creates the largest single market in the world in terms of the number of countries and people, is a critical opportunity for the continent to boost growth, decrease poverty, and reduce Africa’s dependence on the global markets. It is also a critical opportunity to increase food trade in Africa, transform Africa’s food systems and increase the Continent’s food security. However, intra-African food trade remains low, relative to other regions in the world, with the Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor reporting a decline by 3.5% in 2022 compared to 2019 on intra-African trade in agricultural goods. While the AfCFTA presents a critical opportunity, it simultaneously presents a critical challenge. Over the last decade, there has been progress in intra-African food trade, especially through the Regional Economic Communities, but this continues to be hindered by a number of challenges. These challenges include lack of commitment from African governments to subordinate their national political interest in order to realize long-term regional objectives; instances of conflict and political instability within several member countries hindered progress; problems associated with poor intra-regional infrastructural linkages, low product diversification and low demand elasticity among sub-Saharan African countries. Intra-African trade has also been hampered by high tariffs and other non-tariff barriers, low-quality goods, low productivity, costly SPS measures, unstructured markets, lack of reliable and up-to-date data and information, among others. In addition, the impacts of climate change, the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Russia – Ukraine Crisis have further exacerbated the precarious situation.
Overcoming these challenges can facilitate formal trade and also contribute to efforts to formalize informal trade flows. With increasing incomes and urbanization, demand for processed foods and increasing intra-African food trade represents an important channel through which producers and processors on the continent can access rapidly growing African markets.
AGRA, through its Inclusive Markets, Trade and Finance Unit, and the Food Trade Coalition for Africa, works with governments, the private sector, development partners and other critical stakeholders in food trade to support the creating of a predictable and coherent policy and business environment. This is to increase regional food trade from areas of surplus to areas of deficit, contributing to regional food and nutrition security as well as inclusive growth in the region. By supporting policy predictability and market-shaping initiatives, coupled with cross-cutting investments around climate resilience, gender, and nutrition, the unit’s interventions contribute to impact agriculture gross domestic product, food price volatility, the value of trade in food including nutritious foods, increasing availability of food at the household level, and improving the level of climate resilience integration at country level. For information about AGRA, please visit www.agra.org .
Objectives of the Assignment
The overall objective of this assignment is for the TA to support the AfCFTA Secretariat and AGRA in coordinating the implementation of activities outlined in the AGRA-AfCFTA Secretariat partnership plan to foster agri-food trade and agro-industrial development on the continent that is beneficial to disadvantaged women and youth.
Scope of work
AGRA and the AfCFTA Secretariat have entered into a cooperation agreement to drive agri-food trade that effectively integrate the participation of disadvantaged women and youth. As such, both parties have developed an implementation work plan to meet the objectives of the agreement. The TA will play a critical role in ensuring the full implementation of this work plan including broadly:
1. Providing overall coordination to the implementation of the AGRA-AfCFTA work plan for driving agri-food trade and agro-industrialization works which is aimed at effectively supporting the participation of disadvantaged women and youth in regional and continental trade. This will include, among others, in liaison with AGRA’s focal person in the IMTF team:
a. Coordinate the development of the agri-food trade and agro-industrialization strategy.
b. Coordinate the works of other TAs and all pieces such as TA to the Minister of Trade and Industry; the TA to AfCFTA Secretariat for developing Impact Investment fund,
c. Coordinate AGRA and the AfCFTA Secretariat’s work with the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance.
2. Supporting the AfCFTA and AGRA in construction of the vision for agri-food transformation through the development of regional value chains, trade, and industrialization strategies that is supportive of integrating disadvantaged youth and women into continental free trade opportunities in selected priority agri-food value chains.
a. Providing technical support to the agriculture unit of the AfCFTA in the implementation of Agritrade initiatives in the continent.
b. Collaborate with or support the team leading the development of the agri-food trade and
industrial strategy alongside the TA to the Minister of Trade and Industry to realize the objectives of the Agri-Trade Initiative.
3. Support the AfCFTA and Member States in identifying and addressing policy and regulatory obstacles that limit the effective participation of disadvantaged youth and women in the continental free trade.
a. This will involve formulation and domestication of protocols and frameworks aimed at enhancing inclusivity and improving efficiency of agriculture markets in the continent.
b. Support engagement and consultation activities for the adoption and validation of the women and youth in trade protocol. This will include supporting the participation of women and youth in agri-food trade through implementing initiative such as simplified trade regime (STR), etc.
c. Support the roll out of trade facilitation measures, such as harmonizing trade policies, simplifying customs procedures, streamline administrative processes, reducing NTBs and ensuring compliance with quality and food safety standards, and addressing unpredictable policy measures impacting agri-food trade.
4. Support the delivery capabilities of the AfCFTA in the area of agri-food trade, by:
a. Collaborating with the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance in development of business cases for regional value chains i.e. cereals, horticulture, cassava, and soyabeans.
b. Supporting the AfCFTA in the implementation of the Guided Trade Initiative focusing on agriculture products that are pro-poor and inclusive of disadvantaged women and youth in the continent.
Support Policy and Value Chain development works, including:
a. Ensure linkage and coordination with AGRA’s policy and value chain development works in each country on relevant value chains.
b. Ensure linkage and coordination with each of the RECs on their value chain development efforts to facilitate and highlight major challenges and opportunities and help ensure investments in
these value chains.
6. Support the AfCFTA in undertaking/collating analytical works and co-creation of knowledge products highlighting lessons learned and collating best practices and facilitating awareness creation and sensitization through platforms such as the African Food Systems Forum, the Food Trade Coalition for Africa, to (a) influence policy change, (b) ensure that women and youth are included in the
implementation of the AfCFTA and (c) leverage initiatives such as the AGRA Value4Her initiative to ensure gender-inclusive policy advice.
Key qualifications, skills and experience required.
We seek an individual with the following qualifications, skills, and expertise: -
• Master’s degree in economics, Agricultural Economics, International Economics, Development Economics, Industrial/Market Economics, Management, or related field, with minimum ten (15) years of experience in trade policy and strategy analysis and development, value chain analysis, market analysis.
• Deep knowledge of global, continental, regional and domestic trade issues, challenges, and opportunities, especially all working protocols of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
• Demonstrated experience in carrying out similar assignments (regional or continental agri-food trade strategy) including quantitative and qualitative analysis, research, and reporting, global trade analysis and outlook.
• Demonstrated ability to engage stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and countries, especially in Africa in the context of intra-regional or intra-continental trade.
• Ability to provide clear and objective advice and recommendations.
• Must demonstrate having a strong fluency in spoken and written English.
