Lead, Scaling up Technology and Market Access for Small Holder Farmers - AHAI at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/18/134
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Grade: PL2
Position N°: 50097490

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for ‘Agriculture, Human, and Social Development’ is a Sector Complex focusing on two of the Bank’s Ten Year Strategy High 5s priority of “Feed Africa” and “Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa”.
• The complex objectives are:
  • To develop, policy and strategy;
  • Provide deep sector expertise to the Regions by gathering pools of experienced individuals who can be consulted to provide sector expertise on complex transactions;
  • Develop new financing instruments;
  • The Vice President will act as the spokesperson to represent the Bank with external stakeholders on aspects of “Feed Africa” and Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa”.

The Hiring Department

• 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 eighteen (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 African agricultural systems for greater competitiveness, inclusivity and sustainability, and for enhanced job creation and poverty reduction in Regional Member Countries.

The Position

• The incumbent support the Director of Agriculture an Agro-Industry to roll out the Feed Africa Strategy, in particular initiatives to raise farm level productivity and increase access to markets for small holder farmers, by taking food production technologies and market access intervention to scale using innovative digital approaches
• In partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), NEPAD (CAADP), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and Development Partners, the Bank is implementing a continent-wide strategy for the transformation of Africa’s agriculture. ‘Feed Africa’ as the strategy is known supports the realization of key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the development of an inclusive and competitive African agribusiness sector and underpinning this vision are four specific goals:
  • Contribute to the end of poverty;
  • End hunger and malnutrition;
  • Make Africa a net food exporter; and
  • Move Africa to the top of export-orientated value chains where it has comparative advantage

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the general supervisor of the Director, Agriculture and Agro-Industry, the Lead on scaling of technologies and market access supports the Managers of Agribusiness (AHAI-1) and Research, Production, and Sustainability (AHA1-2) on innovative approaches to accelerate scaling up of food production technologies, and access to markets by small holders. Specifically, the Lead will:

• Work with the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) project team within and outside the bank to determine volume of seeds fertilizer, and other inputs required to reach project targets, supply chains needed, and number of farmers to be reached.
• Design a delivery/extension platform, that is based on ICT/digital technologies including e-wallet, e-vouchers, input credit schemes, out growers, to reach millions of farmers as fast as possible
• Identify partners, in-country and in the Regional Technology Delivery Infrastructure (RTDI) who will be accountable for ensuring technologies reach the farmers.
• Design an M&E program, including clear and obvious KPIs on supply chain/ logistics etc, assessment of Govt extension capacity especially in remote districts and corrective measures where needed.
• Prepare performance contracts for the TAAT compacts, including Regional Member Countries (RMCs) represented by National Agricultural Research and Extenstion Systems (NARES), lead Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centers, partners to incentivize them to meet expectations or lose their roles.
• Design a delivery platform that is based on ICT/digital technologies for the Post-Harvest Losses Prevention and Agro Processing (PHAP) flagship to scale up market access for small holder famers.
• Learning from  Brazil’s  very successful Center of Food Supply (CEASA, the Portuguese acronym) model on organizing agricultural markets for small holder and medium-sized, and farmer cooperatives, lead the effort to adapt the CEASA model to RMCs, including addition of ICT platform to make widely available the price discovery, demand projection, and quality requirements of the CEASA model.

Other roles include:

• Work in partnership with Agricultural Financing and Rural Development (AHFR) and other departments in the complex, as well as public and private stakeholders, in order to find tailored and holistic solutions to complex agricultural productivity, marketing, creation of an enabling environment, inclusivity and agro-industrial development challenges
• Develop and maintains an appropriate portfolio that is innovative, multi sectorial, cost-effective and leading to demand-driven products and services responding to agriculture and agro-industry challenges.
• Ensures availability and maintenance of portfolio, pipeline, staff and budget information as well as portfolio and department quality and performance metrics to inform Bank management
• Represents, as needed and upon designation of the Director, the Department on strategic issues to ensure that operational policies, practices and procedures align with quality service delivery to clients
• Initiate and lead high-priority special initiatives/projects as designated by the Department.

Leadership, People and Talent management:

• Demonstrated experience in collaborative leadership. In collaboration with other Managers and Leads of the Department, be mutually accountable to the AfDB’s Feed Africa Strategy; promote collaboration and facilitate teamwork across teams and across organizational units;
• Maintain a high standard of professional integrity, treat individuals fairly and respectfully and be sensitive to differences across culture, nationalities and gender.
• Model exemplary AfDB leadership values and managerial behaviours and reinforce these qualities in the Departmental management team and staff
• In collaboration with the Director, contribute to, and implement and monitor compliance with talent management, diversity and inclusion plans.
• Assist the Director to drive and inspire technical excellence within the complex by creating an environment of learning and innovation that attracts and develops the best talent reflective of the diversity of our clients

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Hold a minimum of a Master's degree in Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, Agriculture, Natural Resources Management or related disciplines.
• Have a minimum of eight (8) years of relevant experience in design of delivery/extension platform, that is based on ICT/digital technologies, of which a minimum of five (5) years at a managerial role.
• Demonstrated leadership values and exemplification of AfDB managerial and core competencies
• Demonstrated in-depth experience working across sectors and disciplinary boundaries, and with multiple stakeholders – both public and private - in building collaborative alliances for results
• Track record of managing complex and large work programs, budgets, portfolio monitoring and supervision, with proven results
• Proven ability to effectively implement complex change management initiatives
• Substantive experience working in client countries preferred, or deep operational and client experience
• Deep technical knowledge and experience in Agriculture and Agro-Industry. Considerable experience in designing and implementing Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs), related development programs of African countries, and the national as well global Sustainable  Development Goal (SDG) agenda; experiences with work on multilateral institutions will be an advantage;.
• Demonstrable understanding of Africa’s economic and development challenges, sub-regional and regional development issues, analysis and policy formulation; knowledge of the practices of major bilateral and multilateral partner development agencies in African countries is an added advantage.
• Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external audiences, between the Management and staff of the Bank, the authorities of member countries, officials from other organizations;
• Strong leadership and coaching skills, with a proven track record of working with teams and creating an empowering and self-development oriented work environment.
• Operational Effectiveness: The commitment to ensure that full use is made of the systems, procedures and culture within the organization in order to deliver the required results.
• Innovation & Creativity: The commitment to search for and produce innovative and creative approaches to activities in order to enhance performance and create added benefits to the bank and its clients.
• Problem Solving: Applies business knowledge to the resolution of problems and identifies solutions to the benefit of the client (internal and external) and the organization.
• Demonstrates Professional Expertise: Continuously expands understanding of relevant business products, practices and systems/technology. Shares knowledge and expertise with others.
• Communication: Provides clear and concise oral and written communication; presents oral information with clarity and appropriate style and adapts language and style to suit the requirements of a particular audience.
• Client Orientation: Ensures that the client (internal or external) is considered to be of primary importance in all transactions and interactions.  Strives to understand, and when appropriate, anticipate client needs, and ensures that the client receives the best possible service from the Bank.
• Team Working & Relationship Management: Works with others to maximize the effectiveness of the team as a whole, sharing the knowledge and the workload.  Develops strong working relationships with colleagues and contributes to creation of a positive team environment.
• Ability to communicate in English and/or French with a working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, SAP, PowerPoint).