Senior Agribusiness Officer

THE BANK:

Established in 1964, the African Development Bank is the premier pan-African development institution. Its mission is to promote economic growth and social progress across the continent. The Bank has 81 member countries, including 54 African countries (regional member countries – RMC). The Bank’s development agenda is delivering the financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth.  In order to sharply focus the objectives of the Ten-Year Strategy (2013 – 2022) and ensure greater developmental impact, five major areas (High 5s), all of which will accelerate our delivery for Africa, have been identified for scaling up, namely; energy, agro-business, industrialization, integration and improving the quality of life for the people of Africa.  The Bank is seeking to build a management team that will lead the successful implementation of this vision.

THE COMPLEX:

The Agriculture, Human and Social Development (AHVP) Complex supports in implementing two of the five goals, namely “Feed Africa” and “Improve the Quality of Life for Africans”. The complex comprises four departments: (i) Agriculture and Agro-Industry Development (AHAI); (ii) Agriculture Finance and Rural Development (AHFR); (iii) Gender, Women and Civil Society; and (iv) Water, Human and Social Development.

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:

Within the context of the Bank’s High 5’s vision for Africa’s long-term economic transformation, the Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department (AHAI) provides support for the delivery of the Bank’s Feed Africa: Strategy for Agricultural Transformation in Africa, 2016-2025. The Feed Africa 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 Bank Group Regional Member Countries. Feed Africa’s many Flagships include the ENABLE Youth initiative, Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), Agropoles and Agro-Processing Zones, Post-harvest Loss Reduction and Agricultural Value Addition, Blue Economy, Risk Sharing and Finance Mechanisms (RSFM), and Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA).

THE POSITION:

The Senior Agribusiness Officer will provide technical support to the development and implementation of projects within the flagship programmes under the Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy and High Fives vision for Africa’s economic transformation such as the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), ENABLE Youth, Postharvest Loss Reduction, etc. He/She will also work with the Flagship Coordinators in both AHAI and AHFR.  

The Senior Agribusiness Officer 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, the incumbent will support the implementation of this agenda in African Development Bank Regional Member Countries, with specific focus on providing technical input for the design, and supervision of projects, which (i) promote value chain development, value addition and primary and secondary processing of crops and livestock; (ii) catalyze private sector entry and growth in African agribusiness; (iii) promotes agri-SME growth and the commercialization of agriculture, particularly addressing access to finance needs (iv) creates farm to fork market linkages; (v) facilitates the development of agro-poles and agro-processing hubs; (vi) supports the development of an agribusiness enabling environment; and (vii) invests in hard infrastructure (including roads, markets and irrigation), soft infrastructure (human capital, i.e., trained potential employees, ICT, etc.), and enabling policies and reforms, for transformation of African agriculture into viable, profitable businesses. The Senior Agribusiness Officer will work closely with 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.  

KEY FUNCTIONS:

Under the direct supervision of the Manager, AHAI.1 and working closely with other Task Managers in the Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department, the Agriculture Finance and Rural Development Department, in the Financial Sector Development Department, the Private Sector Department, the Industry and Trade Development Department, etc., and with external stakeholders, the Senior Agribusiness Officer’s role includes but is not limited to the following:

1. Perform analysis of selected agricultural sectors/food chains, including food security and food safety issues and assesses the feasibility of agribusiness investment projects.
2. Analyze the constraints and opportunities related to agribusiness investment options with emphasis on the functionality of markets, support services, trade policies, market institutions and organizations, risk management systems and private sector engagement.
3. Support the financing of major aspects of agro-industrial development of the African continent with focus on value addition and processing, regional commodity exchanges.
4. Support the structuring of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agribusiness projects, to catalyze private sector investment.
5. Contribute to designing private sector and non-sovereign operations, including experience in public private partnerships (PPP).
6. Source, structure and provide advisory for private sector agribusiness transactions.
7. Support value chain strengthening through structured finance in syndicate deals with commercial banks and other creditors (agricultural finance and innovative financing).
8. Contribute towards building a pipeline of bankable projects for the Bank’s private sector operations in the sector, particularly identifying entry points for private investments in public sector transactions.
9. In relation to the Bank’s country and regional operations strategies, identify, prepare and appraise agro-industrial sub-sector operations with focus on post-harvest losses reduction to be submitted for Bank financing.
10. Ensure that agro-business and agro-industrial development opportunities/challenges with special focus on post-harvest losses are taken into account in the formulation and implementation of agriculture projects; and ensure effective coordination with Field Offices and other Departments of the Bank to ensure consistent mainstreaming of these areas in other programmes of the Bank and national-regional programmes.
11. In relation to the Bank’s country and regional strategy, identify, prepare and appraise agribusiness and agro industry sub-sector operations.
12. Assist Regional Member Countries to radically boost their agribusiness and agro-industries as a platform for job creation, improved livelihood and broad-based economic growth and development.
13. Undertake analysis and sector studies to orient the Bank’s strategy of intervention in the area of agribusiness and agro-industry development for Africa.
14. Advice and develop concepts on the design of strategies and policies related to agricultural marketing and inclusive and sustainable agri-food value chain development.
15. Contribute with technical inputs to bank Group’s operational activities relating agro-industrial development, through the review of the technical design and institutional arrangements for agricultural programmes proposed for Bank’s funding.
16. Set up and maintain strategic collaboration with relevant partners in the area of agribusiness, agroindustry and the Bank’s private sector department.
17. Organize agribusiness and agro-business development seminars, make presentations and represent the Bank in those meetings.
18. 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.

COMPETENCIES (skills, experience and knowledge):

1. Hold at least a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics, Food Science/Technology, Agribusiness, Finance, and Management, Development Economics or relevant Social Sciences-related discipline.
2. Have a minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience, in multilateral development institutions working in agricultural investment, agribusiness advisory services, agribusiness investment, linkage with the private sector, project formulation, preparation, appraisal and management; and/or business development.
3. Knowledge of agro-industry and agribusiness concepts and challenges facing the African continent. 
4. Capacity to analyze trends, constraints, policies, institutions and provide technical support to related agribusiness and agro-industries sectors.
5. Ability to thoroughly do agricultural value chain analysis, and identifying key intervention areas within given value chains.
6. Ability to design appropriate agro-industry programmes for solving issues in the sector.
7. Ability to identify the appropriate methods and techniques to conduct economic studies and ably present the results.
8. Extended and relevant experience in project formulation and technical backstopping.
9. Having private sector experience will be an added advantage.
10. Ability to work in a team and work in a multicultural environment.
11. Ability to work effectively in partnership with clients and seek feedback to improve work processes.
12. Communicate verbally and write effectively in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
13. Competences in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP is desirable.

THIS POSITION DOES TTRACT INTERNATIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS  (THE POSITION HOLDER WILL HAVE INTERNATIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT).

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