The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a mission-driven not for profit organisation. We exist to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies. We work hard, every day, to make a difference. When governments work well they are able to create economic and social change in a way that promotes fairness, social justice and opportunity. We work relentlessly to support leader and governments with the challenges they face. Giving them practical solutions and actionable insights, that once implemented, can be transformative for their people.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Value Addition Agro-processing Consultant

Job Reference:  tbigc/TP/9595/549
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Contract Type:Consultant
Contract Details:Ongoing
Working Hours: 5+ months consultant contract
Job Category: Advisory
Business Area / Division: Advisory – Africa
Business Unit: Nigeria

Focus of the Role

• We are scoping for a Value Addition Agro-processing expert to support the GIP workstream of the PACE project.
• This individual will work closely with the Head of Unit, Project Lead, Mechanisation Lead, Value Chain Lead, Good Agronomic Practices Lead among other specialists; supporting them and key states and ministries alongside the
• Delivery Advisor to facilitate the development of the priority value chains and agricultural markets. This is a short-term independent consultancy contract for 6 months.

Overview of Services (Deliverables)

• The Project for Agriculture Coordination and Execution (PACE) in the Office of the Vice-President has been set up with responsibility for the coordination of the implementation of two flagship programmes: the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) and the Green Imperative Project (GIP) – a partnership with Brazil to improve access to mechanization and technology in Nigerian agriculture.
• PACE also supports the Agric for Food and Jobs Plan (AFJP) through overseeing the smallholder farmer enumeration exercise.

Green Imperative Project (GIP):

• The Green Imperative Project is a €995m in-kind loan to support the Nigeria-Brazil bilateral development programme.
• This programme aims to transform the agricultural sector in Nigeria through a total Agricultural Technology Transfer package.
• The plan is to have service centres in each of the 774 local governments in Nigeria: 632 of these will be Type 1 while the remaining 142 service centres will Type 2 – for Agro-processing.

Key Responsibilities

• The agro-processing will be around six value chains:
  • Value Chain 1 (Feed Factory): Corn, beans, millet, wheat, soybeans, grass.
  • Value Chain 2 (Vegetable Packing House) Lettuce, watercress, garlic, eggplant, onion, ginger, pumpkin, pepper, cabbage, coriander, broccoli, tomato, peas, basil, cucumber, and others.
  • Value Chain 3 (Tubers, Roots and Fruits Processing) Sweet potato, Irish potato, cassava, carrot, beet, yam, turnip, radish, yam etc. others; Citrus, cashew, banana, mango, watermelon, grape, apple, avocado, pear, melon, strawberry, papaya, pineapple etc.
  • Value Chain 4 (Animal Slaughterhouse): Poultry, cattle, sheep, etc.
  • Value Chain 5 (Dairy Products): Milk, yogurt, butter, cheese.
  • Value Chain 6 (Processing and commercializing of rice & bran):
• The main responsibility of the role is to develop the Type 2 Service Centres: this is through improving market-oriented value addition along the selected value chains for economic diversification and strengthening the capacity of the Nigerian processing capacity and quality control.
• Additionally, the role involves understanding political economy constraints, identifying constraints, gaps and opportunities along the value chain and proposing practical, market and government systems solutions to these constraints. The role will also require travel across Nigeria.

Person Specification

• A minimum of Master’s Degree in a related field
• The role must be filled by a candidate with the right to work in Nigeria
• Significant  experience working in the Agro-processing sector especially with medium to small manufacturing enterprises, producers, traders, enterprise groups, rural financing institutions/banks, and research/policy associations
• Experience in designing and implementing projects aimed at improving manufacturing in agriculture and linkages with markets
• Strong knowledge and demonstrated ability to nurture and/or build effective partnerships with the stakeholders within and outside the agricultural and manufacturing sectors
• Knowledge of the use of ICT and eCommerce in agricultural value chains is desirable and good knowledge of Microsoft Office products Word, Excel and PPT and other relevant  software and tools
• Significant Africa experience with a strong preference for Nigerian contextual experience
• A decent understanding of how governments, businesses and international development organisations operate and how to succeed in them
• Strong analytical and management skills, including sound knowledge of strategic planning and project management tools
• Hands on approach to work, with the ability to deliver on deadlines in a fast-paced and fast-changing environment, with minimal or no supervision
• Ability to present information in a concise, insightful and structured manner, both in written and oral form.

Remuneration
Negotiable

Application Closing Date
25th May, 2022.