REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department (AHAI) Rue Joseph Anoma, 01 BP 1387 Abidjan 01, Cote d’Ivoire

E-mail: [email protected]

SHORT-TERM INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF COUNTRY PROPOSALS TO THE GLOBAL AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY PROGRAM (GAFSP) 2.0: FIRST CALL PROPOSAL PREPARATION

Brief description of the Assignment: The Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department wish to recruit the services of Two (2) short term consultants to provide technical and intellectual leadership for developing proposals (producer organization investments and public sector) for grant financing from GAFSP for various eligible countries. In carrying out the assignment, the Consultants are required to employ a collaborative approach in ensuring that inputs are obtained from a wide cross-section of stakeholders in the agriculture sector.

The Consultants will develop, in consultation with key stakeholders including the Ministries of Agriculture, Development Partners (USAID, EU, WB, SIDA, AfDB, UN Agencies, Producer Organizations (POs) and Civil Society Organizations, etc., detailed project proposal in line with the 2021 Call for Proposals for the eligible countries issued by GAFSP.

The principal delivery of this consultancy will be a finalized project proposal for grant funding from GAFSP consistent with the countries’ guidelines for the Public Sector Window Proposals and the Small-scale Grants to Producer Organizations under the 2021 First call for proposals under GAFSP 2.0. Based on the information/input gathered, the consultants will design a project, including logical framework, budget, financial and economic analysis, and narrative concept note and a proposal that justify the proposed public sector and producer organization investments, taking into consideration the opportunities for complementary private sector engagement.

The consultants will work under the overall guidance of the GAFSP coordinator within the Agriculture and Agro-industry Department (AHAI) within the Bank.

Department issuing the request: Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department

Place of assignment: Abidjan/ beneficiary country

Duration of the assignment: Six (6) months

Tentative Date of commencement: 16 June

Detailed Terms of reference for the assignment: [TORs below]

Deadline for applications: 27 May 2021

Applications to be submitted to: Mr. Philip Boahen ([email protected]) and Dorra Ben Niran ([email protected]).

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A FOR A SHORT-TERM INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF COUNTRY PROPOSAL TO THE GLOBAL AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY PROGRAM (GAFSP) 2.0: FIRST CALL PROPOSAL PREPARATION

  1. INTRODUCTION

The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) was established as a response to the 2008/09 global food price crisis, following the G8 commitment in September 2009 in Pittsburgh to mobilize up to USD 20 billion for agricultural development and food security. The objective of the GAFSP Trust Fund (Grants) is to address the underfunding of country and regional agriculture and food security strategic investment plans already being developed by countries thereby contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty and hunger by 2030.

The Program offers a range of public and private investment tools such as grants, technical assistance, concessional loans, blended finance, and advisory services across the entire value chain, pooling donor resources and allocates funds to projects that are delivered through partnerships with multilateral development agencies and private sector actors. GAFSP projects focus on country-led investments in one or more of the five key components: raising agricultural productivity; linking farmers to markets; reducing risk and vulnerability; improving non-farm rural livelihoods, and technical assistance and institutional support.

GAFSP allocates funds for public investments based on competitive, open, calls for proposals that have clear, transparent guidelines set forth by the GAFSP Steering Committee. These guidelines require country ownership, including extensive consultation with stakeholders, constituents, and partners.

The African Development Bank Group’s Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department (AHAI), is responsible for the operations and investments in Agriculture, Agribusiness and Natural Resources Management, incorporating environmental concerns, as well as promoting the development of agro-industries to increase productivity and competitiveness.

In June 2016, The Board of Directors approved the Feed Africa Strategy (2016-25) for African Agricultural Transformation. Feed Africa is one of the Bank’s High 5s operational priorities, a blueprint for African countries to embark on a course of sustainable transformation. The others are: Light up and Power Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.

The Feed Africa strategy aims to end hunger and rural poverty in the next decade through self – sufficiency in 18 priority commodity value chains specific to the continent’s agro-ecological

zones. These objectives will be achieved through 7 mutually reinforcing enablers: increased productivity; value addition; increased investment in hard and soft infrastructure; an enabling agribusiness environment; capital flows; and inclusivity, sustainability, and effective nutrition in the Bank’s Regional Member Countries (RMCs). The Department comprises the Agribusiness Development (AHAI.1) and the Agriculture Research, Production and Sustainability (AHAI.2) Divisions.

The African Development Bank is currently supervising 10 projects across its regional member countries namely Gambia, Mali, Benin, Senegal, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Niger, Liberia and Tanzania with a total portfolio value of $320.8 million. Following the special 5th call for proposals, additional projects have been added to the portfolio – Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia and Liberia – with the value of $51.6 million, bringing the total portfolio value to $372.4 million. Operations in Niger and Malawi have successfully been completed and amid the COVID-19 operations in Liberia, Gambia and Senegal have been extended. Also, Senegal and Zambia have exceptionally been granted respectively USD 4,422,335 and USD 1,400,000 of additional funding.

This call for proposals, 1st call under GAFSP 2.0 targets both public and private investment tracks, which are the two-track financing model. This next call is being launched in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. Within this context, the key themes will be gender and empowerment of women and girls, climate resilience and improved nutrition outcomes. In response to the first call for proposals under the GAFSP 2.0, the African Development Bank is looking for individual short-term consultants to support the process of the proposal preparation (producer organization investments and public sector) across the various eligible countries.

  1. SCOPE OF WORK AND EXPECTED OUTPUTS

GAFSP finances projects through three instruments:

  • Grants to Countries (public sector): GAFSP provides grants to low-income country governments in support of national agricultural and food security investment plans. TheBank’s focus is the public sector financing in form of grants.
  • Private Sector Financing: Using blended finance solutions and concessional funding to support projects designed to improve the livelihood of smallholder farmers.
  • Small-scale Grants to Producer Organizations: To reach smallholder farmers more directly, the Missing Middle Initiative (MMI) pilot focuses on producer organizations, civil society organizations, and small and medium enterprises. Short-term consultants are needed to provide technical and intellectual leadership for developing a proposal for grant financing (producer organization investments and public sector) from GAFSP for various eligible countries. In carrying out the assignment, the Consultants are required to employ a collaborative approach in ensuring that inputs are obtained from a wide cross-section of stakeholders in the agriculture sector. The Consultants will develop, in consultation with key stakeholders including the Ministries of Agriculture, producer organizations, Development Partners (USAID, EU, WB, SIDA, AfDB, UN Agencies, Producer Organizations (POs) and Civil Society Organizations, etc., detailed project proposal in line with the 2021 Call for Proposals for the eligible countries issued by GAFSP. They are required to:

Gather evidence to inform the proposal development aimed at providing an overview of the agriculture, food security and nutrition context, and establish if the RMCs have investment Plan documents in place which have been reviewed and validated by CAADP, aligns with the GAFSP themes, amongst other eligibility criteria, including: 

  • Reviewing relevant literature and documents to inform the preparation and finalization of the proposal.
  • Mapping of relevant initiatives to be leveraged.
  • Identification of entry points/gaps for project to fill.
  • Identify infrastructure gaps in the value chain (not limited to irrigation)
  • Conduct a gender analysis and action plan.
  • Mapping of stakeholders working with farmer groups.
  • Conduct a mapping analysis of the nutrition programs and projects existent and propose alternative nutrition and nutrition-sensitive interventions complementary to existing programs.
  • Review the Climate Change and Environment Policies, strategies and investment frameworks for the RMCs and Resilience Plans to inform the proposals.

Develop and validate the projects’ framework in consultation with key stakeholders including the Ministries of Agriculture, producer organizations, Development Partners (USAID, EU, WB, IFC, SIDA, AfDB, UN Agencies, Producer Organizations (POs) and Civil Society Organizations, etc.

  • Coordinate stakeholder meetings to maintain government ownership and input in the project design processes.
  • Meet with government ministries/agencies, such as Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Gender, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Commerce, as well as other development partners to explore/develop collaborations and opportunities for the proposed projects.
  • Ensure that the project proposals (producer organization investments and public sector) takes full consideration of gender and women empowerment and leverages from other government programmes that are targeted at climate resilience.
  • Define the implementation framework and preparation arrangements including the technical coordination of each component/activity as appropriate.
  • Define the project activities under each component incorporating all technical comments as they arise.
  • Define the baseline and semi-annual targets and monitoring mechanisms for indicators.

  1. DELIVERABLES

The principal delivery of this consultancy will be a finalized project proposal for grant funding (producer organization investments and public sector) from GAFSP consistent with the countries’ guidelines for the Public Sector Window Proposals: 2021 First call for proposals under GAFSP.

Based on the information/input gathered, the consultants will design project(s), including logical framework, budget, financial and economic analysis, and narrative concept note and proposal(s) that justify the proposed public sector and small-scale Grants to Producer Organizations investment, which considers opportunities for complementary private sector engagement.

Deliverables timeline

  • Inception report: to be delivered two weeks after commencement of the contract.
  • Prepare a full draft project proposal 1 month after commencement allowing for an internal review of government stakeholders and AfDB.
  • The final project proposal will be delivered no later than 6weeks after commencement.
  • Submit an assignment summary report and presentation materials.

  1. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

The assignment is expected to be undertaken by an individual consultant who possesses the following qualification and expertise:

  • An advanced university degree in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, development studies or a field relevant to development assistance and other related social sciences.
  • Knowledge in food security, agricultural value chain, livelihoods, climate resilience, gender and women empowerment issues in Africa
  • Similar knowledge in developing funding proposals. Knowledge of operational modalities of GASFP will be an added advantage.
  • Minimum of 10 years’ experience in proposal development. Strong program design skills, including the capacity to prepare logical, coherent, and consistent documents including log frames and budgets.
  • Prior demonstrated experience developing proposals for institutional donors, in particular those funding agriculture and food security programs. Ability to work efficiently and effectively with project members in various locations and from multiple organizations.
  • Strong private setor or SME development background, or public sector related experience.
  • Relevant experience at the national and international levels on value-chain analysis, agro-industry, food security and nutrition.
  • Ability to integrate different experiences, methodologies, and approaches from a diverse range of stakeholders, organizations, and technical experts from multiple sectors. Flexibility to adapt to any subsequent changes in the terms of reference.
  • Working relationships with relevant ministries and agencies working in food security would be an advantage.
  • Excellent English/French speaking/writing skills required dependent on the country’s official language; prior experience of facilitating multi-stakeholder workshops and meetings.
  1. TIME FRAME FOR THE ASSIGNMENT

The Assignment is expected to be completed within 6 (six) months from 16 June 2021 to 15 December 2021.

  1. PROPRIETARY RIGHTS

All outputs and results delivered under this consultancy contract will remain the property of the African Development Bank and beneficiary countries’ Ministries of Agriculture.