Agribusiness Analyst at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights, capacity development and the empowerment of women.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Agribusiness Analyst

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Type of Contract: Service Contract
Post Level: SB-5
Duration of Initial Contract: Initial duration 6 months

Background

• UNDP Nigeria’s recent support to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture was anchored within the Facility for Inclusive Market Project (FIM) which helped to strengthen the Ministry’s capacity for the management of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) including the coordination of the Agricultural Transformation Implementation Group (ATIG) and the establishment of platforms and mechanisms for dissemination of market information on new research to expand agricultural production. The success of the FIM Project was instrumental to the collaboration between UNDP, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in designing a project focused on strengthening capacity for ATA implementation including the agribusiness leadership platform.
• UNDP at the corporate level, through its African Facility for Inclusive Market (AFIM) established the African Agribusiness Supplier Development Programme (ASDP). Essentially, the ASDP aims at improving the supply of African agricultural products by farmers and SMEs towards market quality standards, offering quality products, with quicker delivery times, reduced transportation and reduced inventory costs, and as such secure and offer lead firms efficient and high quality local agricultural products supply.
• UNDP Nigeria embraced the Agricultural Supplier Development Programme (ASDP) and has designed its own intervention in response to Organized Private Sector demand to address wide fluctuations in commodity supply and pricing and challenges faced by processors and lead firms for ensuring continual and timely flow of feed stock into factories at the right quality and pricing. The ASDP Nigeria programme therefore seeks to establish a systematic mechanism for addressing emerging constraints within value chains through the establishment of productive partnerships between key government establishments and their industry peers. It is expected that successful implementation will result in increased employment, income and output in rural areas and strengthen regional commodity supply chains.
• Essentially, the ASDP for Nigeria is expected to focus on “the gaps between” the core actors in focal value chains while ensuring partners focus on remedying the gaps “within”. It identifies that the significant gap between farmer and processor/wholesaler/retailer can be mitigated through the development of appropriate storage facilities that are well constructed and managed. Such storage offers farmers more security in off-takes and buyers more security in terms of quality and availability.
• At this take off stage, Nigeria ASDP's primary focus is on ensuring that smallholders are part of the lead firms supply chains and increasingly, the market becomes more inclusive. This will guarantee improved access to markets for farmers, individuals and enterprises that can process raw materials either for storage or for end markets or intermediaries and agro-dealers who provide inputs into the value chain.

Other planned activities for the Nigeria ASDP programme will include:

• Incubation of a specialised multi stakeholder organ that brings together the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (FMARD), The Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG) and the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk-Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) to drive the ASDP and respond to the inadequacy of aggregation in value chains. This organ will supply support services to value chain actors by strengthening linkages and providing a platform for information of information, knowledge and business development services.
• Establishing two value chain Round Tables that will bring value chain stakeholders together with a view to linking actors in respective chains and eliciting more formal commitment to warehouse development and management by private sector investors.
• Creation of storage hubs that act as linkage between farmers, processor and off-takers by providing technical assistance to operators utilising existing government storage infrastructure through lease hold arrangements. Assistance will be provided to develop capacity to establish solid backward and forward partnerships that will result in the emergence of market makers who are in a position to buy from farmers (or store on their behalf) and who are also able to identify and meet off-taker requirements.
• Through this, SMEs and master farmers will be identified and provided with technical assistance to improve business operations and lower operating and other transaction costs as well as improve local knowledge and understanding of seasonality.
• Strengthening local SME processing around storage hubs through project initiatives that work in close collaboration with other stakeholders. The approach will be to encourage primary processing for storage purposes (e.g. cleaning of produce and drying) through to secondary (e.g. milling) and finally tertiary operations (e.g. export through joint ventures, consultancies) through linkages with other programmes and private sector operations.
• Providing capacity building to support agro-dealers and master farmers with an emphasis on facilitating access to finance and business and technical knowledge that can increase their operations.

Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of key functions:

• Ensure the provision of effective and professional managerial and technical leadership as well as oversight for implementation of ASDP activities in 2016 following the project work plan through effective collaboration with AFIM and national partners
• Engage with development partners and the private sector to mobilize resources for implementation of Nigeria ASDP work plan activities in 2016 and 2017.
• Engage with lead firms to foster partnerships to allow for Nigeria ASDP implementation.
• Build and maintain a wide range of strong, cooperative and productive professional relationships, ranging from technical to policy levels, across a broad spectrum of relevant public and private sector inclusive markets stakeholders (clients, public and private input/output partners, relevant local PS Networks, BMO and other individual contacts) - on a regular basis to gather their feedback and input for improving the direction, design and progress of the ASDP.
• Pursue linkages and cooperation with other relevant value chain development donor partners, projects and programmes with a view to strengthening the ASDP.
• Regularly share information on progress of implementation and any challenges and emerging issues with UNDP senior management, the team leader for economic policy and inclusive growth to support rapid resolution of any such challenges.

Expected Deliverables

• Organize value chain roundtable on Rice with lead firms support and targeted at responding to commodity value chain constraints.
• Organize value chain roundtable on Cassava with lead firms support and targeted at responding to commodity value chain constraints
• Establish and formalise relationships among key supply chain actors including the identified lead firms (within the identified two commodities)
• Build the capacity of the specialized multi stakeholder organ (FMARD, NABG and NIRSAL) for implementation of Nigeria ASDP (with FMARD as Project Implementation Unit) on value chain mapping including training on ASDP tools.
• Develop and Implement a Resource Mobilization Plan for implementation of ASDP Activities in 2016 and 2017.

Competencies
Functional Competencies

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda:

• Analysis and creation of messages and strategies
• Creates effective advocacy strategies
• Performs analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses

Results-Based Programme Development and Management:

•  Contributing to results through provision of information
• Provides information for linkages across programme activities to help identify critical points of integration
• Provides information and documentation on specific stages of projects/programme implementation
• Provides background information to identify opportunities for project development and helps drafting proposals
• Participates in the formulation of project proposals

Building Strategic Partnerships:

• Identifying and building partnerships
• Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UNDP's mandate and strategic agenda
• Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients and potential partners
• Promotes UNDP's agenda in inter-agency meetings

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches:

• Developing new approaches
• Seeks a broad range of perspectives in developing project proposals
• Identifies new approaches and promotes their use in other situations
• Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking
• Makes the case for innovative ideas from the team with own supervisor

Resource Mobilization:

• Implementing resource mobilization strategies
• Analyzes information on potential bilateral donors and national counterparts to recommend a strategic approach
• Identifies and compiles lessons learned
• Develops a resource mobilization strategy at the country level

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Developing tools and mechanisms
• Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches
•  Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

• In-depth knowledge of the subject-matter
• Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• At least a Master's Degree in Agricultural Economics or Agricultural Management.

Experience:

• Progressively responsible work experience of at least 5 years of relevant experience with not less than 3 years in providing project management leadership on project(s) focussed on agribusiness, supplier development programmes, managing core issues of private sector development and enabling environment, i.e. facilitating an effective business regulatory environment and public private partnerships including market led approaches.
• Proven practical experience in agro-food value chain development, agricultural policy analysis and research,

Language Requirements
English

Application Closing Date
18th January, 2016.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online