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The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) seeks to recruit a Consultant. The consultancy assignment aims to systematically assess the policy relevant capacities of the regional agricultural offices and relevant affiliated institutions, focusing on key policy skills, resources, and competencies necessary to perform and implement policy functions. It also aims to identify capacity gaps and develop a roadmap to guide effective policy making processes at individual, organizational, and systemic levels.

Specific objectives:

• Assess the skills, knowledge and competencies of staff involved in policy formulation, implementation, developing and enforcing of policies/directives and legislations.
• Assess structure, systems, tools, infrastructure and technological capability for developing data driven policy design, analysis and implementation, M & E;
• Assess capability to track policy implementation and policy outcomes and impacts.
• Explore the capacity organization to mobilize, allocate, manage, monitor financial resources to support policy initiatives.
• Assess the capacity to engage stakeholders such as public, private sector and civil societies in the policy making process.
• Conduct SWOT analysis for each assessment area; identify and prioritize critical bottlenecks and develop a 5-year policy capacity development roadmap with detailed interventions and estimated budget.
• Provide a two-round training on policy planning, design, analysis and implementation to the agricultural staff (Training part of the contract will be extended based on the performance of the two rounds of training provided).

General Background:

Policy capacity is a major concern for public institutions entrusted with generating and implementing effective policy responses to complex social issues. In the literature, policy capacity refers to the set of skills and resources required for policy functions, which can be classified into three categories: analytical, operational, and political. These competences involve several types of policy-relevant capacities necessary at individual, organizational, and systemic levels.

Since 2002, Ethiopia’s government has implemented agricultural and rural development policy to foster economic growth, establish a free market economy, and benefit its citizens. Despite its considerable growth, meeting food demand of the growing population, exporting quality products, meeting industry input needs, and achieving structural economic transformation remain major challenges for the country.

Established in 2006, AGRA collaborates with the government to achieve transformation in food systems, strengthen seed systems, promote sustainable farming, adapt to climate change, promote free trade, improve soil health, and reduce women inequality. AGRA Ethiopia Strategy (2023-2027) aims to reach 2.4 million smallholder farmers in Ethiopia, with 30% being women, through four business lines: Seed Systems, Sustainable Farming, Inclusive Markets and Trade, and Policy and State Capability.

Scope of work:

The assignment focuses on conducting a policy gap assessment and developing a roadmap to strengthen policy formulation and implementation capacity of the regional agricultural offices and its affiliated institutions. The following are the major activities of the assignment:

• Conduct desk review and take stock of existing policy capacity from previous reports.
• Conduct an in-depth individual and organizational level capacity gap assessment of regional agricultural offices and its affiliated institutions.
• Develop agricultural policy capacity building roadmap guiding the capacity building of regional agricultural offices and its affiliated institutions.
• Conduct a two-round capacity building training on policy planning, design, analysis, implementation.

Required qualifications:

The consultant is required to have the following knowledge and skills:

• A minimum of a Master’s degree or a Ph.D. in agricultural policy/capacity building, agricultural economics, economics, strategic and development planning, development studies, rural development or other relevant field of study.
• At least 10 years of proven experience in designing, conducting and facilitating the capacity gap assessment programs in Ethiopian agriculture or related sectors.
• Comprehensive understanding of Ethiopia’s agriculture sector, including crops, livestock, fisheries, natural resources, and agricultural investment.
• Good understanding of the Ethiopian agricultural and rural development policy landscape, institutional arrangement, and policy practices.
• Expertise in policy planning, development systems, capacity gap assessment, and roadmap development.
• Proven experience in policy gap assessment and roadmap development at both institutional and individual levels in Ethiopia or elsewhere worldwide.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with government departments and stakeholders at a decentralized level.
• Proven experience in Ethiopian food system analysis.
• Qualification in M&E and Programme design is an added advantage.
• Proven record of having been a Team Leader on similar assignments.
• Proven expertise in conducting institutional assessments and reviews.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, fluent in English and sufficient knowledge of local languages.
• High level of accuracy, attention to detail, and thoroughness.
• Ability to work under minimal supervision, be proactive, and exercise sound judgement.
• Excellent interpersonal and human relations skills.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver quality results within strict deadlines.
• Team members with complementary knowledge and skills of capacity gap assessment and provision of training.

Duty Station: Addis Ababa, and capital towns of regional states.

Terms of appointment: The duration of the assignment is for 40 days.

Applicants should provide a cover letter and curriculum vitae; names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to be included in the curriculum vitae. Consultants should submit 3 pages of technical and one page of financial proposals together with CVs of the lead consultant and associate experts.

The position and reference number: REF: C/AGRA/31/24 should be clearly indicated in the subject line of the cover letter. All applications should be submitted online on our recruitment portal: http://ilri.simplicant.com/ before 4 November 2024.

AGRA/ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training).

Suitably qualified women are particularly encouraged to apply.