Rural Institution, Youth and Gender Consultant at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD)

The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) received a loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) towards the cost of the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), and intends to use part of the proceed towards carrying out various consultancy and non consultancy service activities.

The VCDP hereby invites eligible/qualified individual consultants to express interest in offering the services below:

Job Title: Rural Institution, Youth and Gender Consultant

Locations: Abuja, Enugu, Nasarrawa or Kogi

Programme Summary

• The VCDP is an investment programme presently being implemented in the six states of Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Ogun, Niger and Taraba. Three additional states of Kogi, Nasarrawa and Enugu are to further participate in the programme.

The programme includes the following components:

• Agricultural Market Development which includes Support to value addition and market linkages, Support to market infrastructure):
• Small Holders Production Enhancement which includes (Support to farmers organization and Support to small holders production) and
• Programme Management and Coordination.

The VCDP intends to expand/ update her data base of individual consultants. Eligible individual consultants are invited to indicate interest in working for the programme at any off:

• National Programme Management Unit, Abuja
• Enugu State Programme Management Unit, Enugu
• Nasarrawa State Programme Management Unit, Keffi.
• Kogi State Programme Management Unit, Lokoja

Programme Objective and Target
The Programme’s objective is that the incomes and food security of poor rural households engaged in production, processing and marketing of rice and cassava in the Programme Area are enhanced on a sustainable basis.

The primary target groups are:

• Poor rural households engaged in the cassava and rice value chains (VCs) who cultivate not more than 5 hectares of land under rice/cassava); and
• Small-scale processors (processing capacity of an average of 2 MT/day for cassava and 4 MT/day for rice) and traders, with emphasis on women and youth.

The secondary target groups include:

• Downstream stakeholders, particularly processors Linked to a large number of the primary target groups;
• Local government councils (LGAs) and communities strengthened to sustainably manage the marketing infrastructures supported by the Programme; and
• Private sector operators strengthened to provide quality services demanded by smallholder farmers and processors.

Specific Task in this Area Include

• Assist in the periodic review of the Institutional Mapping of existing Farmers Organsations (FOs) in the nine programme States so as to fine-tune and upgrade the strategy ofintervention and other activities to support the FOs capacity building;
• Contrilute to strengthen the FOs' level of governance, capacity in designing and review of their VCAP, business management performance, negotiating skills of the groups and their capacities for service/input procurement through training;
• Strengthen the group’s ability to access/leverage resources from financial institutions through appropriate capaeity,building programmes and activities;
• Provide technical support for the strengthening of the FOs in the areas of expanding existing businesses, creating new ones, reduction in production costs and evolution of robust network within and between the groups in the programme areas;
• Assist in the formation of new and viable FOs using such simple tools as group-inventorization and operational guidelines. Such guidelines would contain the following: membership, purpose of the group reflecting their business interest, governance structure, tenure of office, meeting regularities, modalities for admission and withdrawal of membership, resource-mobilization and gender composition;
• At appropriate times, organize capacity building programmes on gmtp management & dynamics
• Assist the programme to conduct an appraisal of the Farmers organisations to identify capacity-and productivity-gaps as well as monitor progress on the impact/result of previous trainings;
• Develop flexible training manuals to address the identified gaps, train the farmers based on the needs and curriculum.

Qualification and Experience
The requisite qualifications of the Individual Consultant shall include the following:

• Master's or higher-level University Degree in Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Education and other relevant discipline
• Minimum of 10 years post-qualification experience including at least 2 years in implementation of projects integrating strengthening of Farmers organisations and gender issues. Knowledge in participatory approaches, and gender mainstreaming.
• Proven record in the field of project implementation ‘integrating strengthening of FOs and Gender mainstreaming activities/strategy.
• Good writing skills and computer literacy.

Criteria for Evaluation
The Following criteria will be used in evaluating the individual Consultants:

• General-Education, Qualification, Membership of Professional bodies
• Specific Experience related to assignment
• Participation in similar assignments in IFAD and other donor projects
• Adequate knowledge of the terrain/environment.
• Eligible Individual Consultants should submit their detailed Curriculum Vitae with Covering Letter indicating area of interest.

Application Closing Date
12pm, 18th September, 2019.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should submit two hard copies (by hand or post) of their Expression of Interest (EOI) in sealed envelopes with the interested area of specialization clearly marked on the top left-hand corner of the envelope. This submission should be addressed to the undersigned at the stipulated addresses below:
The National Programme Coordinator,
FGNIIFAD Value Chain Development Programme,
4, Batna Close, Off Agadez Street, Wuse 2, Abuja.
OR
Office of the Permanent Secretary,
Enugu State Ministry of Agriculture, Enugu.
OR
Office of the Permanent Secretary,
Nassarrawa State Ministry of Agriculture, Nassarrawa
OR
Office of the Permanent Secretary,
Kogi State Ministry of Agriculture, Lokoja.