Agribusiness Coordinator at Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA)

Position Description

• CNFA is recruiting for a state-level Agribusiness Coordinator to be based in and responsible for Ebonyi State.
• Reporting to the Agribusiness Director, the Ebonyi State Agribusiness Coordinator will work with agricultural enterprises of all sizes along the rice, maize, soy, fish, and cowpea value chains.
• Based at the State level, the Agribusiness Coordinator will become familiar with the agribusiness sector; develop an effective and participatory network of agribusiness stakeholders, including public and private sector value chain participants; conduct needs assessments; report on policy constraints; and identify opportunities for the project to facilitate agribusiness finance and investment transactions.
• The Agribusiness Coordinator will work directly at the State level with established agribusinesses (‘Lead Firms”) in the target value chains, in addition to their key suppliers, distributors, service providers, MSMEs, smallholder farmers, and other service providers within their value chains.
• Serving as the Project’s main lead generation engine, the Agribusiness Coordinator will help identify (i) the most critical legal and/or regulatory burdens constraining the partner firms’ growth and competitiveness, (ii) valid and justified access to finance requirements of the Lead Firms and their value chain partners (e.g. smallholder farmers, farmer associations, inputs dealers, aggregators, transport and storage firms), and (iii) potential agribusiness investment opportunities.
• The Agribusiness Coordinator will also communicate and coordinate with the other State-based Agribusiness Coordinators as well as with the 3 Component Leaders, M&E Specialist, and Strategic Communications team.

Program Description

• The five-year USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity, implemented by CNFA as part of the United States Government’s Feed the Future Initiative, strengthens the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture.
• To achieve this goal, the activity focuses on three interrelated components: improving the ease of doing business in the agricultural sector; broadening access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; and promoting investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations.
• In line with the U.S. and Nigerian Government’s commitment to growing the non-oil-based economy, these efforts will increase the quality, quantity, market access, and diversification of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.
• Beginning in December 2018 and closing in 2023, this $15.6 million project aims to integrate thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and producer organizations as high-performing commercial actors in the value chains for rice, maize, soy, aquaculture, and cowpeas.
• As a result of streamlined regulations, more effective policies, improved production and processing practices, and significantly increased finance and investment flows, the project will increase the competitiveness and returns of both large and small sale agricultural enterprises.
• Employing a value chain approach, the Agribusiness Investment Activity aims to facilitate $100 million in new investment and $75 million in finance across the 5 crops in 7 designated States: Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Cross River.   

Duties and Responsibilities

• Represent the project at the State level.
• Advise the Agribusiness Director and Component Leads on state-specific challenges related to the challenges and opportunities for improvements in the business enabling environment, access to agribusiness finance, and opportunities for agribusiness investment.
• Serve as the primary lead generator for investment and financial transactions in the State.
• Organize forums and meetings, including but not limited to policy reform focus groups, and agribusiness lending stakeholder roundtables, with Nigerian government officials, business associations, business development service providers, investors, financial institutions, and SME’s at the State level.
• Ensure stakeholders and beneficiaries are aware of and interested in collaborating with the project, resulting in the project’s ability to capitalize on any shared efficiencies.
• Meet with agribusinesses to develop a strong understanding of the legal, regulatory, and other barriers constraining agribusiness finance and investment in each value chain, and in association with the Enabling Environment Unit, actively contribute to the development of a clear and coherent vision for the reduction of these barriers.
• Closely coordinate with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team to collect and utilize data to adaptively manage the effort and report on project achievements.
• Backstop and support domestic and international short-term specialists.
• Other ad-hoc duties as assigned by the Agribusiness Director.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Business Administration, Finance, or another related field;
• At least (5) years of relevant, progressively responsible experience is required;
• Experience in agricultural finance and in working with MSMEs, financial institutions, and investors;
• Proven track record in developing, analysing, and implementing projects focused on agribusinesses, agricultural finance, and agricultural value chains;
• Demonstrated experience in facilitating private-sector investments and familiarity with the workings of government legal and regulatory frameworks at the State level;
• Experience in overseeing and working with short-term domestic and international specialists;
• Able to maintain a rigorous focus on project deliverables, indicators and results, including being able to engage stakeholders to capitalize on any shared efficiencies;
• Experience with Monitoring and Evaluation or MEL processes; and
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English (knowledge of local languages is an advantage).