Principal Agriculture and Rural Development Officer at African Development Bank - AfDB

Position Number: 50078525, 50066964
Location: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso / Monrovia, Liberia
Position Grade: PL4

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-5 priorities, namely: “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 establishing 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/Division

• The Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department provides support for the delivery of Feed Africa: Strategy for Agricultural Transformation in Africa, 2016-2025.
• This 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.
• The Department supports the effort to transform African agricultural systems for greater competitiveness, inclusivity, and sustainability, and for enhanced job creation and poverty reduction.

The Position

• The Principal Agriculture and Rural Development Officer will provide technical support in the design and implementation of projects scheduled under the flagship programmes of the High-5 "Feed Africa" strategy.
• The incumbent will work across technical, geographical, and institutional boundaries to support the formulation of development solutions for various rural (and urban) clients in the public and private sectors, in accordance with the African Development Bank Group's agricultural, agro-food and agro-industrial development programme.
• Using a value-chain approach, the incumbent will support the implementation of the aforementioned programme in the African Development Bank's Regional Member Countries, with particular emphasis on providing technical support for the design and implementation supervision of projects which:
  • Promote value chain development, create added value and foster the primary and secondary processing of crops, livestock and fishery products;
  • Accelerate private sector participation and growth in African agriculture;
  • Promote the growth of agricultural SMEs and the commercialisation of agriculture, with particular attention to financing needs;
  • Create farm-to-fork market links;
  • Facilitate the establishment of agro-poles and agro-processing centres;
  • Support the development of an enabling environment for agriculture and agro-industry; and
  • Invest in policies and reforms that are conducive to the transformation of African agriculture into viable and profitable enterprises.
  • The Principal Agriculture and Rural Development Officer will design and coordinate the development of solutions intended for customers and of all project management aspects related to the implementation of these solutions.

Key Functions

• Under the direct supervision of the Regional Sector Manager, Agriculture and Agro-business in West Africa (AHAI-W), the Principal Agriculture and Rural Development Officer will perform, inter alia, the following functions:
• Develop coherent programmatic approaches aligned with the Bank's operational program, based on identified needs, and on the priorities and requests of Regional Member Countries;
• Ensure that the Bank's agriculture portfolio remains of good quality by diligently processing procurement files and disbursement requests and submitting reports within the required deadlines;
• Respond promptly to requests by governments, assist governments in preparing bidding documents and disbursement requests, ensure the recruitment of audit firms for various project accounts, and submit audit reports on time;
• Design technical assistance programmes, estimate financing needs and propose governance models which will enhance the performance of agricultural value chains - from the supply of agricultural inputs to harvesting, transport, storage, marketing and distribution (including export) – with a view to increasing value-added, improving quality, reducing post-harvest losses and ensuring the reliable supply of products to consumers;
• Participate, where necessary, in dialogue with the Regional Member Countries on agriculture sector development;
• Conduct technical, economic and sector studies which will guide and underpin public and private investments in the agricultural sector (agricultural policy);
• Participate in initiatives and programs aimed at increasing youth and women’s employment and skills development in the agro-industrial sector and agribusiness by providing appropriate technical content;
• Monitor procurement, disbursement, and reporting procedures to ensure compliance with Bank procedures;
• Lead or participate in the development of sector policies and strategies and provide technical contributions during the preparation of country strategy papers (CSPs) and portfolio reviews;
• Provide technical expertise in technical training and agricultural extension to support agricultural and agro-industrial development programmes, including institutional capacity-building for farmers' organizations;
• Lead or participate in agricultural sector reviews, the development of agricultural and rural development projects, mid-term reviews and project completion missions;
• Participate in the evaluation and analysis of agricultural and rural development projects and terms of reference (TOR) of studies presented for Bank financing;
• Review procurement documents from the various executing agencies, in close collaboration with the relevant units of the Bank, to ensure compliance with the Bank’s procurement procedures and propose actions to be taken by the Bank and the executing agencies;
• Provide technical advice to the Bank's Disbursements Division on project expenditure eligibility;
• Review feasibility studies and project progress reports and propose actions to be taken by the Bank and executing agencies;
• Prepare the terms of reference and select consultants for various missions and supervise the technical aspects of their work;
• Represent the Bank during coordination meetings with RMCs and with other institutions; and
• Perform all other professional tasks as assigned by the Regional Manager or the Management of the Bank.

Competencies (Skills & Knowledge)

• Hold At least a postgraduate Master’s Degree in Agriculture / Rural Development or a related discipline;
• At least six (6) years of relevant and diverse professional experience in agricultural and rural sector development as well as in project design and management, with a broad interest in development issues and the promotion of relevant and priority agricultural value chains in member countries; experience within the Bank or in multilateral development institutions would be an asset;
• Good interpersonal, communication and project management skills; an eye for detail; and the capacity to be results-oriented and customer-focused;
• Ability to apply innovative approaches, work in a team, and analyse and summarize information;
• Good leadership skills, commitment to the development of the continent and the ability to adapt working methods while remaining efficient within a changing work environment;
• Ability to communicate effectively (Written and Oral) in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, Project and Power Point) and familiarity with Development Finance Corporate applications / tools.