1. Context and rationale

West Africa will have a population of over 435 million in 2023, 55% of whom live in rural areas and depend on natural resources for their socioeconomic development. The region's economy remains dominated by the primary sector, particularly agriculture, which accounts for 22.2% of GDP (ECA-UN1[1] , 2023) and provides between 22% and 73% of jobs depending on the country in the region in 2021 (FAO[2] , 2023).

However, the food and nutrition situation in West Africa is increasingly worrying, with a steady increase in the number of people facing acute food and nutrition insecurity since 2014. Between 2020 and 2024, the number of people classified as food insecure increased significantly, from 22.1 million (6% of the analyzed population) in 2020 to 35.3 million in March 2024, or 9% of the analyzed population. Child and maternal malnutrition rates remain critical, often exceeding the WHO emergency threshold (15%), particularly in parts of Nigeria, Mali, Niger, and Chad. In 2023, some 12.6 million children under the age of 5 were acutely malnourished, including 3.2 million who were severely malnourished. In addition, 1.5 million pregnant and lactating women were acutely malnourished in several countries in the region.

The current decline in food and nutrition security is due to a combination of structural and cyclical factors, as well as complex interactions between climate shocks, population growth, erosion of natural resources and livelihoods, persistent conflicts, market imperfections (commodity price variation and volatility), and the effects of pandemics/epidemics.

Faced with these urgent food and nutrition needs, ECOWAS and its partners are implementing mitigation and response measures in support of countries' efforts. However, beyond the immediate aid required, the region has made firm commitments to transform agriculture and strengthen the resilience of the food system. Three complementary areas of intervention have been identified as priorities for strengthening the resilience of the food system in West Africa:

1. supporting the productive base of the food system while investing in climate-smart agriculture, farms, and landscapes
2. promoting an environment conducive to the development of value chains and intraregional trade
3. strengthening regional capacities for agricultural risk management.

To address these priorities, the region has received funding from the World Bank to implement the Food Systems Resilience Program in West Africa (FSRP).

2. Brief overview of the Program

Launched as part of the implementation of the region's commitments, the Food Systems Resilience Program in West Africa (FSRP) aims to strengthen the region's preparedness for food insecurity and improve the resilience of food system actors, priority landscapes, and value chains in the program's areas of intervention.

The first phase of the program covered four (4) countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Togo) and regional actions carried out by ECOWAS, CILSS, and CORAF. The program is financed by the World Bank for an amount of approximately $570 million over a period of five (5) years. It is structured around the following five (5) components:

Component 1 (managed by CILSS): Provision of digital advisory services for the prevention and management of agricultural and food crises, with the following main objectives: (i) improving decision support systems through demand-driven information services to enhance the effectiveness of agricultural and food crisis prevention and management, while integrating data and leveraging science, innovation, and cutting-edge technologies; and (ii) strengthening regional capacities and institutional sustainability, as well as the capacity to adapt to climate change.

Component 2 (managed by CORAF): Sustainability and resilience of the productive base of the food system, with the following main objectives: (i) establish national and regional agricultural research systems; (ii) strengthening the policy environment to ensure landscape governance (inclusive multisectoral policies and regulations aimed at preventing, reducing, and reversing land degradation); and (iii) create/strengthen integrated landscape management units to sustainably achieve multiple objectives (food production, provision of ecosystem services, protection of biodiversity, and improvement of local livelihoods).

Component 3 (managed by ECOWAS): Regional food market and trade integration, with the following objectives: (i) support the development and implementation of sound regional policies and regulations to facilitate trade in agricultural goods and inputs within and across national borders in West f Africa, through key corridors; (ii) consolidate the food reserve system; and (iii) support the development of strategic regional value chains, with tangible positive impacts on food security and nutrition in the region.

More specifically, the activities to be carried out by the ECOWAS Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Water Resources are as follows:

1. Facilitate trade through the main corridors and consolidate the food reserve system:
   1. Oversee the development and implementation of the ECOWAS Agricultural Trade and Market Assessment Scorecard (EATM-Scorecard);
   2. Strengthen and operationalize the ECOWAS Rice Observatory in West Africa by improving its coordination, data acquisition, and regular communication capabilities on the development of the rice value chain.
   3. Stimulate the harmonization of regional agricultural marketing policies on critical issues of food system resilience.
   4. Support multi-stakeholder policy dialogue and consultation within ECOWAS. The FSRP will support ECOWAS's facilitation capacity to organize inclusive mechanisms for multi-stakeholder dialogue and consultation, as well as negotiations related to the continental free trade area and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
   5. Improve the performance of regional food security reserves at three levels (local, national, and regional food security reserves—RFSR).
2. Support the development of strategic and regional value chains:
   1. Improve the organization and financing of strategic regional value chains.
   2. Promote agricultural competitiveness and market infrastructure by supporting regional agricultural trade platforms.
   3. Strengthen coordination between different actors and promote an enabling environment for the private sector.

Component 4: Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC), which is a mechanism for financing eligible expenditures in the event of an emergency caused by a natural disaster. Activating this component allows funds to be released quickly to reduce damage to infrastructure, ensure business continuity, and recover more quickly from a disaster.

Following a major disaster, the affected country may request that the World Bank allocate resources from other PRGF components to the CERC. As a prerequisite for the release of funds, an Emergency Response Manual (ERM) will be developed for each country, specifying the fiduciary, safeguard, monitoring, and reporting requirements for the use of the CERC, as well as other key provisions related to coordination and implementation.

Component 5 (managed by ECOWAS): this component concerns program management, which will delegate the technical tasks under components 1 and 2 to the relevant mandated organizations (mainly CILSS for component 1 and CORAF for component 2). Component 5 will ensure effective program management and close monitoring of its performance and impact.

For the overall coordination of the program, a regional coordination unit (RCU) will be set up, composed of: i) a regional coordinator, ii) an expert in monitoring and evaluation, capitalization, and knowledge management, iii) an expert in communication , and visibility, iv) a coordination assistant, v) an expert in environmental safeguards, vii) an administrative and financial assistant, and viii) a procurement assistant.

For the operational implementation of Component 3 of the FSRP, a planning and administration officer will be recruited for the ECOWAS Rice Observatory. These terms of reference concern this position. The duty station is Abuja, Nigeria.

1. About the ECOWAS Rice Observatory

In 2014, ECOWAS adopted the Rice Offensive, a strategic framework aimed at ensuring the sustainable and sustained recovery of rice cultivation in West Africa and supporting the national rice development strategies of member states. The goal is to achieve rice self-sufficiency by 2025. To accelerate the implementation of the Rice Offensive, a regional action plan on rice was developed in 2020 to ensure that the region achieves this goal. Based on field research and recommendations from public and private sector partners in ECOWAS member states, the "ECOWAS Rice Observatory" was established by the ECOWAS Commission, its partners, and stakeholders. The Observatory, hosted by the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, coordinates rice sector programs, public/private investments, and policy recommendations for key decision-makers. In collaboration with its partners, including African governments, researchers, development organizations, the private sector, and civil society, the ECOWAS Rice Observatory will focus on ensuring collaboration on development and the implementation of the recommendations of its board of directors (composed of the ECOWAS Commission, BMGF, AfDB, IsDB, JICA, BMZ, AGRA, AfricaRice, and other development agencies, representatives of national chapters and other stakeholders in the rice sector), its technical committees (IDB, JICA, BMZ, AGRA, AfricaRice, and other development agencies, representatives of national chapters, and other stakeholders in the rice sector), its technical committees, and its general assembly.

At the same time, the ERO's national chapters dedicated to rice are being developed. These chapters are mainly composed of private sector stakeholders from across the value chain, as well as representatives from research, government, and civil society, with the aim of coordinating country-specific investments and policies.

3. Job description

1. Roles/Responsibilities

Under the direction of the Observatory's Executive Secretary (ES), the Planning and Administration Manager will contribute their experience in the areas of program, budgeting, and administration. They will be responsible for supporting all ERO organizational structures, organizing technical meetings, and collaborating directly with value chain partners.

He/she will report directly to the Executive Secretary of the ERO. The officer will assist the Executive Secretary and other members of the secretariat in documenting, organizing, and filing important information. In addition, he/she will be responsible for overseeing budgets, payroll management, invoice payments, and report preparation.

The duty station will be in Abuja, Nigeria, at the ERO Secretariat located within the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DADR) of the ECOWAS Commission.

In this capacity, he/she will be responsible for the following three (3) main tasks:

Management of the Board of Directors, technical committees, and the General Assembly

• • Maintaining a general calendar of all Observatory meetings and events.
  • Developing and maintaining a database on new trade development initiatives of the Observatory and its partners.
  • Assisting the Executive Secretary in organizing and preparing Board meetings.
  • Ensuring better coordination and liaison between the FSRP's regional and national teams, in particular by sharing summaries of Board discussions and appropriately coordinating FSRP-funded activities in the field.
  • Monitor key performance indicators and approaches for monitoring, evaluation, and learning from the Observatory's activities.
  • Draft detailed official minutes of Board meetings, identifying action items and decision points (likely quarterly).
  •  Managing a list of action plans, timelines, and deliverables for all technical experts for each of the Observatory's four technical committees (1. Markets, Trade, and Standards; 2. Finance, Mechanization, and Donor Alignment; 3. R&D - Seeds, Soil, and Water Management; 4. Equity, Resilience, and MLE).
  • Maintain up-to-date lists of all board and committee member contacts.
  • Assist the SE in monitoring all research studies conducted by the technical committees, as approved by the Board of Directors, based on the available budget, on an ongoing basis.
  • Be responsible for accounting and financial reporting.
  • Assist the ES manager in liaising between the ECOWAS Rice Observatory and national sections at the country level.
  • Assist in organizing biannual General Assembly meetings and trade shows.

Knowledge Management and Administration

• • Consolidate and maintain files on technical committee members, consultants, and service providers.
  • Manage all administrative, operational, and office activities of the Observatory Secretariat.
  • Develop and maintain a work plan for the Secretariat, as approved by the EC;
  • Prepare annual reports.
  • Monitor and report on the Secretariat's budget and expenditures in accordance with the work plan.
  • Ensure the implementation of the necessary preliminary work     for procurement systems, administration, validation, and review of contractors, and ensure that services are provided.
  • Assist the SE in verifying that service providers are engaged, supported, and remunerated in accordance with ERO policies and procedures within the agreed timeframes.
  • Organize any special missions, visitor travel, and events for the Council, including the biannual general meeting in partnership with the ECOWAS Commission.

Consultant's activity report

The consultant shall provide a monthly activity report. The consultant's line manager shall approve the consultant's report within three (3) days of its submission by the consultant or shall inform the consultant, within the same period, of the reasons why the consultant's report has not been approved.

2. Profile and required qualifications

Qualifications

• • Holder of a bachelor's degree or equivalent in accounting, administration, finance, or economics.

Experience

• • At least eight (8) years of experience in administration, accounting, and financial management; minimum experience in a regional development program.
  • Experience in organizing and managing conferences, events bringing together public and private actors, and trade shows.
  • Professional experience working in teams and managing processes that depend on cooperation with multiple stakeholders.
  • Professional experience within a large multinational development agency, preferably in a management and coordination role.
  • Professional experience within an ECOWAS institution or agency would be a major asset.

Skills

3. • Knowledge of the West African agricultural sector, particularly rice, is desirable.
   • Proven skills in procurement and contract monitoring: drafting administrative documents relating to contracts, drafting contracts and reports, defining contract award criteria, administrative and financial monitoring, participation in tender evaluation committees.
   • Good knowledge of international accounting and auditing standards.
   • Excellent command of Excel, particularly in database analysis and processing; excellent report/proposal writing skills and reliability in meeting deadlines and deliverables. Knowledge of accounting software - knowledge of SAP software would be an asset; professional and moral integrity.
   • Excellent written and oral communication skills; excellent organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines.
   • Very good command of office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.); skills in website management and facilitation.
   • Accustomed to working in a multicultural environment.
   • Good command of French and English.
4. General conditions for the position
5. 1.  Location, duration, and start date of the assignment

• The Expert will be based in Abuja, Nigeria, at the ECOWAS Rice Observatory;
• The duration of the assignment is for the entire life of the Project after a six-month probationary period. However, a consultant contract will be signed for 12-month periods, renewable for the duration of the project, subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory performance, and the needs of the Project.
• The start of the assignment is planned for the second half of 2025;
• The position is full-time.
• The Consultant is required to refrain from any situation that could place him or her in a conflict of interest in the context of the assignment assigned to him or her.
• The consultant must work in accordance with the principles and guidelines established within the ARAA.

1. 2. Application file

Application files must include:

The application file must include:

• A signed letter of interest, indicating the period of availability;
• A recent, signed resume detailing professional experience and similar assignments;
• Three professional references (full name, current and previous positions, email address, and phone number);
• A certified copy of the highest degree in the relevant field;
• Copies of the work or service certificates mentioned in the CV.

1. 3.   Submission of applications

Applications must be submitted in a single PDF file no later than September 20, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. GMT via upload to OneDrive at https://bit.ly/4n1Tu9R.

The ARAA reserves the right not to consider applications that do not meet the above requirements.

1. 4. Selection process

A consultant will be selected in accordance with the method for selecting individual consultants described in the World Bank's "Procurement Regulations." An interview session will be organized with a shortlist of the best pre-selected candidates. The best candidate at the end of the interview will be selected for contract negotiations.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The ARAA reserves the right to cancel this recruitment process if necessary.

1. 5. Request for additional information

Interested consultants may obtain further information by writing to the following email addresses:procurement@araa.org cc:ctienon@araa.org ;Lbarnabo@araa.org with the subject line " SCI 32-PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION ERO."