Senior Agriculture Officer - Rural Infrastructure, RDGN at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/19/217
Location: Tunis, Tunisia
Grade: PL5
Position N°: 50001177

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery is responsible for operational relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of the Bank Group’s operational programs, and activities. This ensures that the Bank operates successfully across its Regional Member Countries and oversee the full implementation of all aspects of the Bank’s Regional Directorates.

The Hiring Department/Division

• Within the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Complex, the Bank has five (5) Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Directorates, one in each region of Africa: North, South, East, West, and Central. Each Regional Directorate is headed by a Director General and is staffed with the relevant sectoral functions and administrative capabilities for rapid delivery of services to client countries. The Regional Directorates provide overall strategic direction to country offices within the regions and are responsible for the Bank’s operations, business development, project management and overall effective delivery of the Bank’s High 5s :‘Light Up and Power Africa’, ‘Feed Africa,’ ‘Industrialize Africa,’ ‘Integrate Africa,’ and ‘Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.’
• The mission of the Agriculture, Human & Social Development Division is to contribute to the Bank’s efforts to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development in Regional Member Countries. It does so by (1) contributing to development of country and regional strategies and building sector knowledge and (2) focusing on project/programme origination and delivery for approval of operations defined under the High 5 priorities.
• The Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department provides support for the delivery of Feed Africa: Strategy for Agricultural Transformation in Africa, 2016-2025. The 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. Realizing the objectives set forth in the strategy requires increased productivity; value addition; investment in infrastructure; an enabling agribusiness environment; capital flows; and inclusivity, sustainability, and effective nutrition. The Department leads the effort to transform agricultural systems for greater competitiveness, inclusivity and sustainability, and for enhanced job creation and poverty reduction.
• The position is based in Tunis, in the Northern Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office.

The Position

• The Senior Agriculture Officer - Rural Infrastructure is responsible for the origination, processing, supervision and general portfolio management of agriculture, livestock and natural resource management sector projects.
• He/She is expected to provide specialist advice and inputs to the Bank Group’s operational activities through review of technical design and institutional arrangements for agricultural projects/programmes proposed for Bank’s funding and assessing their feasibility from the perspective of present and future impact with a focus  on rural infrastructure. In this role, the incumbent interacts closely with other staff members in the following complexes; the Agriculture, Human and Social Development (AHVP), Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization (PIVP); and Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth (PEVP).
• In particular, the incumbent will be required to engage closely with the Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department (AHAI) and Agriculture Finance and Rural Development Department (AHFR), which provide strategic guidance for the implementation of the Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy and flagship programs, namely: The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Program, the ENABLE Youth Flagship, the Post-Harvest Loss and Agro-Processing (PHAP) Flagship, the Transformation of African Savannah Initiative (TASI), the Special Crop Processing Zones, the Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Flagship, the Blue Economy Flagship, Leadership 4 Agriculture (L4Ag) initiative and/or other Flagships.
• The Senior Officer will be directly involved in the project development cycle from identification of opportunities in line with the Feed Africa High 5 to approval by the Bank’s Boards of Directors.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall direction and supervision of the Regional Sector Manager (RDGN2), the Senior Agriculture Officer - Rural Infrastructure will perform the following:

Business Development and Project Origination:

• In line with the Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy, Country Strategy Papers and Regional Integration Strategy Papers, provide support to the Regional Member Countries (RMC), and lead/support Bank teams to identify, prepare, appraise and implement agriculture and livestock, agribusiness, agro-industry sub-sector operations projects.
• Identify, develop and support the financing of agriculture projects, which meet the objectives of the Feed Africa Strategy with a focus on rural infrastructure
• Review the various proposals and communication sent to the Bank by its partners, clients and take appropriate action, including issuing technical opinion on government submissions to the Bank, drafting of responses and/or reports / presentations and internal or external follow-up;
• Provide the required technical skills to design national and multinational projects that respond to the needs of the RMCs and regional economic communities based on their priorities and selectivity;
• Promote regional integration and donor coordination to promote complementarity in interventions in agriculture and rural development based on comparative advantages of different partners;
• Liaise with other development partners in order to identify opportunities for co-financing and other partnerships;

Technical Analysis, Project Design and Implementation:

• The Senior Agriculture Officer – Rural Infrastructure works across technical, geographic and institutional boundaries to support the delivery of development solutions for a diverse set of clients in the rural and urban space and in the public and private sectors in line with the Agricultural development, Agribusiness and Agro-Industry agenda of the African Development Bank Group. Using a value-chain approach, he/she will support:
• The implementation of this agenda in Regional Member Countries in the North Africa region, with specific focus on providing technical input for the design, and supervision of projects which:
  • Promote value chain development, value addition and primary and secondary processing of crops and livestock;
  • Catalyze private sector entry and growth in African agribusiness;
  • Promote agro-Small and Medium Enterprise growth and the commercialization of agriculture, particularly addressing access to finance needs, and create farm to fork market linkages; Facilitate the development of agro-poles and agro-processing hubs;
  • Support the development of an agribusiness enabling environment, and;
  • Facilitate investments in hard infrastructure (including roads, markets and irrigation), soft infrastructure (human capital, i.e., trained potential employees, information and communication technology, etc.); enable policies and reforms, for transformation of African agriculture into viable, profitable businesses.
• Contribute to solving issues related to the agriculture sector development including advice to RMCs for promoting policies conducive to strong growth/development of the agriculture sector, including creation of an enabling environment for private sector investments in agribusiness;
• Work closely with agricultural sector experts in the headquarters (AHFR/AHAI/) and private sector experts at the Bank to scale up investments in agribusiness and will design and coordinate the delivery of client solutions and all project management aspects of the deployment of such solutions.
• Contribute to the delivery of flagships as required to ensure delivery of the Feed Africa objectives;
• Support in collaboration with AHFR /AHAI, the development of projects for increased agricultural opportunities and agro-industrial development of the North Africa region;
• Carry out technical, economic and sector analysis that will guide and support both public and private sector investments in agriculture;
• Support wide-scale deployment of innovative farmer extension models; support effective private sector-led approaches to the provision of farmer extension services (farmer e-registration and input supplies).
• Design projects that are able to utilize public sector resources to leverage private sector capital for increased private investment in the agriculture sector, including creating off-take arrangements between smallholder farmers and private sector agribusiness;
• Support the structuring of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agribusiness projects, to catalyze private sector investment;
• In relation to the Bank’s country and regional strategies, identify, prepare, appraise and supervise related agriculture and agro industry sub-sector operations.
• Assist Regional Member Countries to radically boost their agro industries as a platform for job creation, improved livelihood and broad-based economic growth and development;
• Undertake analysis and sector studies to orient the Bank’s strategy of intervention in the area of agriculture and agro industry development for Africa;
• Contribute with technical inputs to Bank Group’s operational activities relating agriculture and agro-industrial development, through the review of the technical design and institutional arrangements for agricultural programmes proposed for Bank’s funding;
• Set up and maintain strategic collaboration with relevant partners in the area of agriculture, livestock and agribusiness/agro-industry;
• Undertake any other assignments as may be assigned by the Division Manager and/or senior management.

Portfolio Management:

• Manage an array of projects within the portfolio of the Bank’s investments in the assigned area of responsibility.
• Provide effective periodic reports to Management on the disposition of the portfolio under management.
• Identify synergies and propose interventions that promote the sustained feasibility of the projects under management.
• Ensure the follow-up of recommendations emanating from supervision, mid-term reviews, portfolio reviews and accounts audit missions on projects/programmes, paying the necessary attention to project monitoring and evaluation
• Review bidding documents, bid evaluation reports, quarterly progress reports, request for extension of contracts or LDD (Last Disbursement Date);
• Collaborate with other Banks’ Units in reviewing the operations performance, preparing completion reports, etc., so as to ensure that the lessons drawn from the implementation of past operations are taken into account in new projects.
• Provide technical, and policy advice to management and professional staff of the Bank's member countries during the implementation of the project, particularly in the area of procurement, and general management of projects

Complexity

• The Agriculture Officer - Rural Infrastructure will plan, develop and mobilize the required finance for projects that contribute to the objectives of the Feed Africa Strategy.
• He/she will also, support all aspect of rural development activities in the RMCs including natural resource management programs in strategic agro-ecological zones.
• In addition, the job would involve the roll out of Feed Africa flagship projects through agriculture and agro-industry projects in RMCs.

Selection Criteria

• Hold at least a Master's degree in Rural Development, Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, , Agriculture, Agricultural Finance, or Development Finance; proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office
• Have a minimum of five (5) years of extensive progressive experience in an internationally recognized financial, development institution, or a private agribusiness company.
• Knowledge of agriculture and agribusiness concepts and challenges facing the African continent;
• Capacity to analyze trends, constraints, policies, institutions and provide technical support to related agribusiness and agro-industries sectors;
• Ability to design appropriate agriculture, livestock related and natural resource management programs for solving issues in the sector;
• Ability to identify the appropriate methods and techniques, conduct economic studies and present the results;
• Extended and relevant experience in project formulation and technical backstopping;
• Ability to work in a team and in a multicultural environment;
• Ability to work effectively in partnership with client contacts and seek feedback to improve work processes;
• Ability to communicate and write effectively in French, with a good working knowledge of English;
• Proficiency in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP is desirable.
• Ability to work effectively with other technical and management professionals of diverse occupational and ability to work under pressure, prioritize work, and handle multiple tasks simultaneously and coordination of work programs and resources and lead teams.