Agribusiness Promotion Coordinator (APC) at Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

Location: Port Harcourt, Rivers
Job Type: Contract (1 year)
Unit/Office: Project Coordination

Main Responsibilities
The Agribusiness Promotion Coordinator will support the creation of jobs using the Incubator Apprenticeship Model, focusing on the identification, selection, training and retraining of potential youth and women to learn and start profitable agri-enterprises. He/She will:

• Be involved in the development of agri-enterprises business plans in agricultural commodity production, processing, storage and marketing;
• Coordinates the alignment of the CORY curriculum to project requirements, including modules on village level enterprise group formation, savings mobilisation and entrepreneurship development activities;
• Supports market access to build strong agribusiness and value chain orientation to selected youth and women in the project area; and
• Explore capacity development of Agriculture Value Chain Financing models along production, processing and marketing.

Specific Duties

• Develop activities for the annual work plans and budget (AWPB).
• Oversee the selection process of Incubators.
• Coordinate the development of a training curriculum for incubators and apprentices.
• Coordinate the development and implementation of bankable business plans, marketing promotion strategies, product branding and linkage to service providers and markets.
• Lead and supervise the state level implementation of the incubator apprenticeship model in empowering at least 900 incubators and 38,250 new agri-enterprises across the 9 states of the Niger Delta region (i.e., 100 incubators and 4,250 agri-enterprises per state).
• Supervise the agri-enterprises to ensure their viability.
• Coordinate the capacity assessment and strengthening of CADA and the formation of Commodity Alliance Forum at the state level.
• Identify and partner with private sector operators and CADA to avail farmers and other agri-enterprises the opportunity to sustainably access information on market demand (demand, supply and price).
• Give technical direction and management leadership in identifying actions and mechanisms for the promotion and use of value addition technologies including post-harvest handling, processing, storage and packaging.
• Promote the deployment and adoption of friendly productive technologies and the application of efficient/effective, dynamic and profitable modules across the value chains.
• Promote volume of produce for large markets, sustainability of identified farmers markets, reduction of cost of services, and develop cluster/entrepreneurs arrangements and contract arrangements between produce off-takers and weaned agri-entrepreneurs.
• Develop MoU with all categories of service providers (mechanization, agro dealers, sprayers etc) on areas of engagement and line and terms of support from the project.
• Select service providers where necessary and formulate TORs and scope of work for the service providers. Supervise, monitor and certify the work of service providers for the various activities and assignments.
• Design capacity building and technical assistance measures and activities in the areas of primary production, value addition, market access, business management, quality control and standardization.
• Facilitate linkages for enhanced access to financial services for project beneficiaries, including trader credit, contract farming, inventory credit, commercial/development bank credit and insurance.
• Consolidate state progress reports and contribute to the drafting of periodic project progress reports.

Reporting and Location

• The position will be in the RPCO located in Port Harcourt. The APC will report directly to the PC.

Qualifications and Experience

• Master's Degree in Agribusiness or Agricultural Economics or First degree in any of the Agriculture related disciplines and MBA or higher degree in Agricultural Economics, Economics, Marketing or related fields.
• Strong background and practical skills in business development and marketing and at least 5 years work experience on issues and programmes relating to agricultural commodity production, commodity marketing, agro-processing and value chain development and MSME promotion.
• Good negotiation, inter-personal and relational skills.
• Previous experience in working with government and private sector in developing agrienterprises/agribusiness will be a great advantage.