Ogun State Government Recruitment for FRILIA Specialist

The Ogun State Government is requesting assistance from the World Bank to fund the Ogun State Economic Transformation Program (OGSTEP) through an Investment Project Financing instrument, The funds will support the Ogun State Development Plan (SDP) (2018-2030) with a focus on business environment, skills development and public sector governance.

The ministry of budget and planning has the responsibility for project implementation and ensuring that the project development objectives are met and coordinated by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU).

Below is a critical role / activities that are needed to be filled or carried out for the preparation and implementation of the program:

Job Title: Framework for Responsible Investment in Land-Intensive Agriculture (FRILIA) Specialist

Reference No.: OG/CS/PPA/37/2020
Location: Abeokuta, Ogun
Project Title: Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) - Agric Sector Project Development Support.
Reports to: Project Manager - OGSTEP Agric & Sector Lead
Duration of Employment: 2 Years (Renewable upon satisfactory performance)

Project Development Objective

• The Project Development Objective is to increase agricultural production and stimulate private sector participation in the agricultural, industrial and skills sectors of the Ogun State economy.

The project consists of two main components. The project components include:
Component 1: Increasing Agricultural Production and Industrialization:

• Sub-Component 1.1: increasing Agricultural Production
• Sub-Component 1.2: Improving Business Environment.
• Sub-Component 1.3 Developing Skills.

Component 2: Technical Assistance to Strengthen Capacity to Implement the Program:

• Component 2.1 Agriculture
• Component 2.2 Business Environment
• Component 2.3 Skills
• Component 2.4 Public Sector Reform and PFM
• Component 2.5 Project Implementation support

Background Information

• The Ogun State Government through the Federal Government of Nigeria has received a credit from the International Development Association (hereinafter referred to as IDA) Bank towards the financing of the OGUN STATE ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION PROJECT (OGSTEP). The Project Coordinating Office of OGSTEP intends to apply part of the proceeds of this credit to payments under contracts for the Consultancy Services: –
• The OGSTEP is in line with the Ogun State Development Plan 2017-2030 (SDP) reform agenda to accelerate strategic reforms and foster public investment to enable greater private sector participation in the State’s economy which is organized around five cardinal programs covering agriculture production and industrialization, infrastructure and rural development, education, health, and affordable housing and urban renewal.
• The OGSTEP Agriculture component seeks to help address key constraints to increased private sector investment in agriculture. The Agriculture component will support three types of activities: First, support the development and implementation of the international best practice Framework for Responsible and Inclusive Land-Intensive Agricultural Investments (FRILIA) in Ogun State ; Second, foster the engagement of Value Chain Development Firms (VCDF), and finally, develop critical infrastructure to strengthen market linkages to production areas where value chain development alliances are being promoted.
• The project will promote farming operations in the following priority value chains: 1. Food Crops, 2. Horticulture, 3. Livestock and 4. Fiber.
• Availability and access to land is critical for Agricultural activities generally. Current land administration challenges, including processes for acquiring and distributing land for private investment and registration systems, undermine investment opportunities and thus key policy objectives in Ogun State. These challenges and solutions have been identified by joint Ogun Sate and World Bank assessments in 2017 and 2018. The World Bank project will assist Ogun State to meet policy objectives, including in the agricultural sector. The project is scheduled to start in March 2020.

The Joint Ogun and World Bank assessments have identified several entry points for addressing land challenges in OGSTEP, and supporting government’s objectives, including:

• Support the development and piloting of a Framework for Responsible and Inclusive Land Intensive Agricultural Investments (FRILIA). This will help bring Ogun State into closer alignment with international best practice, help attract responsible investors and enhance opportunities for productive alliances between commercial investors and smallholder and medium-scale producers.
• Support the establishment and operationalisation of a land management agency to gather data, introduce international standards, and guide the development and implementation of FRILIA.
• Support cross-agency inventory and data management for acquired state land.
• Support an analysis of the planned GIS/land records management system to determine utility, opportunities for upgrading and interoperability, and to better meet State needs.

This consultation will assist with the first objective, while being cognizant of how implementation of the FRILIA aligns with other noted objectives.

The Joint Ogun State and World Bank consultants identified several Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs) to guide this work, the indicators are:

Year - Target & Timing:
Year 1:

• FRILIA principles are adopted through Executive Order of the Governor;
• A FRILIA Implementation Plan is prepared through a consultative process satisfactory to IDA;
• A FRILIA implementation compliance checklist satisfactory to IDA is developed.

Year 2:

• Approval by the Agricultural Land Allocation Committee (ALAC) of 3,000 hectares of lands for agri-food sector investments, in compliance with the FRILIA implementation checklist and as confirmed by the Independent Verification Agent (IVA).

Year 3:

• Approval by the Agricultural Land Allocation Committee (ALAC) of 3,000 additional hectares of lands for agri-food sector investments, in compliance with the FRILIA implementation checklist and as confirmed by the IVA.

Year 4:

• Approval by the Agricultural Land Allocation Committee (ALAC) of 3,000 additional hectares of lands for agri-food sector investments, in compliance with the FRILIA implementation checklist and as confirmed by the IVA.

Year 5:

• Approval by the Agricultural Land Allocation Committee (ALAC) of 3,000 additional hectares of lands for agri-food sector investments, in compliance with the FRILIA implementation checklist and as confirmed by the IVA.

Based on the afore-mentioned, it is therefore important that as part of efforts towards project implementation, (including front end activities, pre-implementation activities etc.) FRILIA specialist(s) will be required to support the activities of the Project Manager and sector lead.

Objective

• The FRILIA Specialist(s) working closely with the Project Manager Agric, will assist Ogun State in implementing the Framework for Responsible Investment in Land-Intensive Agriculture (FRILIA).

Scope of Work
This work assists Ogun State to meet Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs) for the World Bank assisted, “Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP),” scheduled to start March 2020.

The FRILIA Specialist(s) will therefore be required to support the OGSTEP Agric Sector Technical Team and the Agriculture portfolio in terms of the evolving trends and demands for products as well as to provide assistance in the areas of enterprise development and competitiveness. The FRLIA Specialist(s) will therefore be required to support the Project Manager and:

• Contribute to the design and implementation of FRILIA.
• The consultant(s) will work with OGSTEP to form a team with Ogun State staff (this may be a FRILIA Multi-Stakeholder Work Group) with representation from all impacted Departments and Ministries to accomplish land tasks below.
• The consultant(s), with assistance from the FRILIA team, will lead the development of a process/diagnostic map of institutional, administrative and legal changes that will be required to implement the FRILA Framework.
• The consultant(s), with assistance from the FRILIA team and based upon the diagnostic map, will develop a FRILIA implementation plan.
• The consultant(s), with assistance from the FRILIA team, will develop a FRILIA implementation compliance checklist.
• Perform other duties as required and requested by the Project Manager within the framework of this consultancy.

Report and Schedule of Deliveries:

• The FRILIA Specialist(s) will be required to provide reports, documents and deliverables as required by the project and in line with the tasks in the Scope of Work, as directed by the Project Manager OGSTEP Agric regarding his/her activities.

Key Deliverables include:

• Create an implementation framework for Ogun re FRILIA
• Train and support the FRILIA Working Group
• Review decisions of the ALAC team re FRILIA
• Review land acquisitions for compliance with FRILIA
• Track the impact of FRILIA related investments
• Create content for Communications Specialist re FRILIA success stories

Services to be provided by the Client:

• The OGSTEP Sector Technical Team working closely with the PIU and Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the provision of an office for the implementation of the duties.

Institutional and Organization Arrangements:

• The FRILIA Specialist will work directly with the Agric Sector, Project Manager and the Honorable Commissioner for Agriculture.
• The level of effort required at the minimum is approximately 150 days over a period of 24 months.
• Most of this work will be carried out in Ogun State, although it is anticipated that up to 20% may be carried out off-site (report writing, desk research, etc.)

Recruitment Qualifications/ Competencies
Education:

• A Masters in any of the following fields: Land Administration, Political Science, Law, Investment or Agricultural Economics. Investment, legal experience. A PhD degree will be of advantage.

Experience:

• 8-15 years’ work experience in one of the fields above.
• Extensive experience in legal, administrative and technical institutional review of land administration programs.
• Extensive knowledge of Nigeria, including land laws and administration at state and national levels.
• Knowledge of FRILIA (or FRILIA-like programs, such as the Voluntary Guidelines for Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests).

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in both written and spoken English

Payment and Fee for Service
Payments shall include the agreed consultancy fees and reimbursable expenses associated with the performance of the consultancy activities. The payment of the consultant will be based on sign off of deliverables by the Project Manager and sector lead.

Application Closing Date
16th September, 2020.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications clearly labelled "Consultancy for Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) - Agric Sector - FRILIA Specialist(s) " to: [email protected] / [email protected]

Click Here to Download Term of Reference

Applications should include:

• Cover letter
• Curriculum Vitae.
• Profile of previous work done related to this project.
• Contact details (office address, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses).

Note: Application materials are non-returnable, and we thank you in advance for understanding that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the next step in the application process.