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Selection of an Individual Consultant, Monitoring and Evaluation Expert to support the Implementation of the ECOWAP-USAID's 2021-2023 Operational Plan

Date de publication :
Wednesday, 1 November 2023
Date limite de soumission :

The ECOWAP 2021-2023 support program defines the scope and priorities of the ECOWAS Commission for continued USAID institutional and operational support to the Directorate of Agriculture. The Directorate's mandate is to guide policy development and direct regional programming to better enable agricultural development. The operational support is directed primarily toward promoting priority policy measures on intra-regional trade. Institutional support initiatives more generally aim to accelerate the overall implementation of agreed regional and national investment plans for agriculture and food and nutrition security, with increased stakeholder engagement.

The scope and defined priorities of the 2021–2023 ECOWAP support program are consistent with what has been an ongoing and evolving relationship with USAID in West Africa. Efforts to reduce trade barriers and harmonize sanitary and phytosanitary standards remain key initiatives of the program. Building a knowledge management system and conducting effective joint sector reviews for informed national and regional decision-making are priorities for continued institutional support over the next three years. Similarly, the continued establishment of the ECOWAS Agriculture and Food Development Fund is a priority in terms of broadening the financial base for the implementation of ECOWAP.

The program's stakeholders include the 15 member countries, producer organizations, private for-profit and non-profit entities, civil society interests, and technical and financial partners. The program's beneficiaries are West African agricultural producers and traders, food processors and distributors, and consumers. Hundreds of professional and technical staff from member governments will benefit from the proposed training activities to build organizational capacity and improve public sector service delivery. Dozens of non-government stakeholders will be invited to participate in training and information sharing activities to strengthen member organizations, improve coordination of private sector interests, and increase advocacy capacity for ECOWAP measures.

Roles/Responsibilities

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE

Under the general supervision of the Director of Agriculture and Rural Development and the direct supervision of the ECOWAP/CAADP Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, the incumbent will manage the technical facilitation of the Regional Joint Sector Review (RJSR) process and support the management of the knowledge management system as part of the ECOWAP monitoring and evaluation mechanism.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Joint Sector Reviews.
  • Provide technical support to the RJSR Secretariat and Steering Committee in the conduct of their activities and meetings.
  • Provide technical support for the development of terms of reference, curricula, and workshop guidelines for the RJSR.
  • Direct the production of the RJSR baseline report and oversee the production of other technical reports for the RJSR.
  • Lead the production of the RJSR workshop report.
  • Provide other technical support to conduct the RJSR.
  • Provide guidance to and support countries that would conduct/initiate country JSRs
  • Data management and analysis
  • Complete and periodically lead the process of updating the ECOWAP indicator profile to ensure that it is up to date with revisions at the continental .levels.
  • Support the data collection process for ECOWAP indicators, produce analysis and reports using data collected for indicators.
  • Provide support in establishing and strengthening country analytical networks
  • Other areas for technical support
  • Support the Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) in the production of her Monitoring and Evaluation Report.
  • Support coordination of the regional M&.E working group.
  • Provide any other duties as assigned

Qualifications, experience, skills

Qualifications/ Experiences

  • Minimum of a master's degree in agricultural economics, agronomy, agro-economics, statistics or any related discipline.
  • Minimum of 10 years of experience conducting policy research and monitoring and .evaluating policies in the ECOWAS region.
  • Good knowledge of the ECOWAP monitoring and evaluation mechanism.
  • Good experience in supporting joint sector reviews.
  • Good experience in capitalizing on the achievements of agricultural projects.
  • Good experience in the agricultural sector.
  • Good experience in impact assessments.
  • Good experience supervising and conducting research.

Skills

  • Ability to write a concept note/proposal and develop a budget.
  • Ability to lead a team of interns/youth and instil a spirit of teamwork to engage employees and complete a well-defined set of activities.
  • Ability to solve problems that arise with minimal direction and/or recommend and explain solutions or alternatives for approval.
  • Contribute to the maintenance of the organizational unit's goals and performance standards.
  • Interpersonal skills and ability to keep stakeholders informed of project progress or setbacks in terms of timeliness, quality and quantity.
  • Knowledge of ECOWAS internal operational requirements for programs, projects, services and systems needed to achieve missions and performance goals.
  • Knowledge and ability to apply techniques to generate creative ideas and new approaches to achieve goals.

General conditions

Working Conditions

  • Ability to produce quality work in a fast-paced environment with high daily pressure to meet deadlines.
  • Ability to work atypical hours as needed or required to meet set deadlines.
  • Ability to work indoors in an office environment, whether cubicles, open offices or private offices.
  • Familiar with normal office noise levels.

Language Requirements

  • Oral and written English and or French.

Place, Duration and Start of the Contract

  • The candidate will be based at the ECOWAS Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development in Abuja, Nigeria.
  • The candidate will be placed under the general direction of the ECOWAS Director of Agriculture and Rural Development, and under the direct supervision of the ECOWAP/CAADP Monitoring and Evaluation
  • The term of the contract is twelve (12) months with the possibility of renewal depending on the availability of funds and the performance of the consultant.
  • The mission will begin within two weeks of the signature of the contract for intellectual services.

Selection procedures

Eligibility and qualifications

The ECOWAS Commission, through the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF) hereby invites natural persons to express their interest in providing the required services by providing information demonstrating that they possess the required qualifications and relevant experience to carry out the mission. Qualification and experience criteria better described in the terms of reference.

The attention of interested individual consultants is particularly drawn to Article 117 of the revised ECOWAS Public Procurement Code ("Offences by Candidates, Bidders and Winners"), which provides information on corrupt or fraudulent practices in competition or contract performance. In addition, please refer to the following specific information on conflicts of interest related to this assignment in accordance with Article 118 of the revised ECOWAS Public Procurement Code.

Application file

The application file consists of:

  • A cover letter, including the availability period
  • A recent curriculum vitae detailing professional experience and similar assignments
  • Three professional references (first and last names, current functions, functions at the time of collaboration with the Consultant, email and telephone contacts).
  • Copy of the highest degree in agronomy agricultural economics, rural development, economics, agronomy, statistics or any related discipline,
  • Copy of the certificates of work or service rendered, listed in the curriculum vitae

Selection method

A consultant will be selected according to the individual consultant selection method described in the ECOWAS "Procurement Regulations". An interview to assess knowledge, skills, and abilities will be arranged with the best candidates. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. RAAF reserves the right not to act on this advice.

​​​​​​​Request for additional information

Interested consultants can obtain further information by writing to the following e-mail addresses: procurement@araa.org cc: ctienon@araa.org, mnakorba@araa.org with the subject "SCI44-USAID: .Monitoring and Evaluation Expert".

How to Apply:

  • Deadline for receipt of applications: November 7, 2023 at 5:00 pm GMT.
  • Submission links: Applications will be submitted by download to Dropbox .  .https://www.dropbox.com/request/Ze9ZqnSCG9AmqgpxAvoH
  • Application format: The application must be in the form of a single PDF file.
  • RAAF reserves the right not to consider applications that do not meet the above submission requirements.