Alliance For A Green Revolution In Africa (AGRA)- Request For Proposal For Institutional Capacity Strengthening Plan Consultant In Nigeria

DEADLINE: 29TH JUNE, 2021
ALLIANCE FOR A GREEN REVOLUTION IN AFRICA (AGRA)
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY STRENGTHENING PLAN CONSULTANT IN NIGERIA

Terms of Reference
Consultancy title: Development of Agricultural Sector Institutional Capacity Strengthening Plan (ICSP) in Nigeria

Background
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is a not-for-profit organization working with African governments, other donors, NGOs, the private sector, and African farmers to significantly and sustainably improve the productivity and incomes of resource poor smallholder farmers in Africa. AGRA aims to ensure that smallholders have what they need to succeed: good seeds and healthy soils; access to markets, information, financing, storage and transport; and policies that provide them with comprehensive support. Through developing Africa’s high-potential breadbasket areas, while also boosting farm productivity across more challenging environments, AGRA works to transform smallholder agriculture into a highly productive, efficient, sustainable and competitive system, while protecting the environment. AGRA works across several African Countries including Nigeria.  The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Nigeria, with the support of AGRA is in the process of developing an Agricultural Sector Institutional Capacity Strengthening Plan (ICSP) and is seeking the services of a consultant to undertake this work.

Context
The Federal Government’s Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP) is the overall policy for the agricultural sector. The policy builds on the gains made by the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA). The Agricultural Transformation Agenda was an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria which was driven by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Its main objective was to sustainably increase income to the over 45 million smallholder farmers and rural entrepreneurs involved in the production, processing, storage, and marketing of selected commodities. Taking a clue from ATA, the APP aims to work with key stakeholders to build an agribusiness economy that can deliver sustained prosperity by meeting domestic food security growth, generating exports and supporting sustainable income and job growth. Nigeria has a comprehensive National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP). The objectives for the actualisation of the NAIP is to pursue a seven-point agenda (SPA) which addresses the identified challenges and identifies the core areas to revitalise the economy. The SPA covers power and energy, food security and agriculture, wealth creation and employment, mass transportation, land reform, security, and qualitative and functional education.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) is the lead agency and focal point, responsible for developing and executing policies and strategies for the agricultural sector within the context of a coordinated national socio-economic growth and development agenda. Implementation of key policies and programs is the role of the  State governments, and requires the right agricultural sector institutional architecture, including specific capacities at both the national and local levels. The institutional, organisational and individual level capacities for government, private sector and NSAs capacities need to be developed to realize the sector goals. To foster understanding of the challenges faced by the agricultural sector in Nigeria and to therefore develop refined and tailor-made support interventions, several analytical studies have been undertaken, which include recent study supported by AGRA on institutional capacity assessment-2019 (ICA).

The ICA-2019 aimed at generating updated information on the status of the agricultural sector capacities across five thematic areas namely: i) Alignment of strategies and policies; ii) Enabling Business Environment iii) Capacity to implement; iv) Coordinated investment and action and v) Mutual accountability for results.  The key challenges identified by the two studies included: inadequate systems and legal/regulatory frameworks, inadequate technical capacity (leadership, institutional, technical skills and staff numbers), inadequate systems, limited financial resources and lack of appropriate technology/equipment. The assessment provided several actionable recommendations on broad areas that require institutional and capacity strengthening to facilitate better implementation of APP, NAIP and its programmes.

To move these recommendations to the next level, there is need to design a sector specific Institutional capacity strengthening programme (ICSP). The ICSP will be led by the FMARD, in close collaboration with the States, private sector, development partners and other key NSAs. In this regard FMARD, is seeking the services of a consultant to support the development of a comprehensive five -year capacity strengthening programme (CSP) for the agricultural sector.

Scope of Work
The capacity assessment framework will take cognisance of the multiple dimensions of capacity needed to effectively achieve the CAADP/ Malabo targets. It will go beyond individual capacity (relevant skills and abilities) to include organizational capacity (governance, structures, processes, etc.) as well as the broader context and environment within which the organization functions. The scope of the ICSP will be at three levels; the individual, organisational (national and subnational levels) and contextual level.  These levels are described as follows

(a) Individual capacity: (Capacity of Individuals in organizations); to what extent the individual knowledge of person in the organisation is sufficient for the organisation and to what extent there are needs for individual capacity development;

(b) Organisational capacity: (Capacity of the organisation); the vision and objective, organisational structure, of the assessed organisation; including leadership, management, clear job descriptions, follow up, etc;

(c) Contextual capacity: (the environment of the organisation); reflects aspects such as the legal context, such as clear rules and regulations and the level of communication, coordination and interaction with other organizations in the same area.

Methodology and Approach for this Assignment
The development of the ICSPs will be expected to be done in a technically sound, evidence based, participatory and consultative manner. The consultant will be expected to employ a variety of techniques to ensure a comprehensive and consultative process is followed in the development of the capacity development plans. This will include but not limited to:

Literature review: Review of existing documentation including government reports, evaluation reports, research reports, M&E data and other relevant documents. This assignment aims to build on the studies already undertaken which include Nigeria ICA 2019, among others. Therefore, this document among others shall form key reference materials.

Engagements and consultations: Under the leadership of the FMARD, the consultant will be assigned to work closely with the ISCP Task Team composed of senior technical officials from key agricultural sector institutions. The consultant will also interact with the private sector and the civil society to undertake the analysis and to formulate a capacity strengthening plan in a consultative manner. The consultant will also be expected to have consultations with, among others, the following categories of stakeholders: development partners, representative of farmers, service providers (extensionists, policy makers, researchers, etc.), distributors, retailers, wholesalers, exporters and processors.

Assessments at National and State (Kaduna and Niger) Levels: This assignment will take cognisance of both the national and county level contexts. The following is a summary of what is expected at each level.

Approach for the Initiative

The development of the ICSP will take cognizance of both the national, and local level contexts as follows;

(A) At National Level

Building on the ICA-2019, detailed assessment will be done as follows;

• Analyze the agricultural institutional framework (FMARD and related agencies)’s goals, mission and objectives
• Analyze the institutional structure (directorates /departments etc)
• Assess staff capacity (, existing skillset, skillset gaps)
• Analyze intra-organisational relationship
• Analyze inter-organisational relationship/coordination with FMARD implementation agencies and other agricultural line ministries
• Analyze the role of vocation schools, training centres and national universities in enhancing the required agriculture national delivery capability

Recommendations:

• Provide the ‘’to be’’ goals and objectives of the agricultural institutional framework (ministries and implementing agencies)
• Propose a ‘’to be’’ institutional framework-organogram (ministry, directorate, departments etc)
• Provide the number of staff, qualification and required skillsets to fit the proposed institutional structure
• Propose a workable coordination arrangement and alignment approach with agricultural implementing agencies and agricultural line ministries;
• Propose human resource support functions: Retention, attraction, performance management and required HR support systems to support the proposed Institutional structure
• Propose the required organisational culture: working conditions, relationship that would deliver the institutional goals and fit the proposed institutional structure;
• Propose required trainings for existing and new staff and provide a phasing approach for capacity building (who needs to be trained in what)
• Where necessary, recommendations for policy and legal review will be provided to ensure that the proposed ICSP is supported by both policy and legal instruments in place

(B) At State (Niger & Kaduna) level

• Analyze the agricultural institutional framework at State level. This will vary based on the State level governance and delivery structure’s goals, mission and objectives
• Analyze the agricultural institutional structure at State level (directorates /departments etc)
• Assess the agricultural staff capacity at State level (existing skillset, skillset gaps)
• Analyze the intra-organisational relationship at State level
• Analyze the inter-organisational relationship/coordination with other implementation agencies, stakeholders at State level
• Analyze delivery relationship with national government (ministry of agriculture)
• Analyze the role of vocation schools, training centres and universities located a regional/district level in enhancing the required agriculture regional/district level delivery capability

Recommendations:

• Provide the ‘’to be’’ goals and objectives of the agricultural institutional framework at State level
• Propose a ‘’to be’’ institutional framework with an organogram at the State level.
• Provide the number of staff, qualification and required skillsets to fit the proposed institutional structure at State level
• Propose a workable coordination arrangement and alignment approach with agricultural implementing agencies and agricultural line ministries and other stakeholders at State level;
• Propose human resource support functions: Retention, attraction, performance management and required HR support systems to support the proposed Institutional structure
• Propose the required organisational culture: working conditions, relationship that would deliver the institutional goals and fit the proposed institutional structure
• Propose required trainings for existing and new staff and provide a phasing approach for capacity building (who needs to be trained in what)

Phasing of the Assignment
It is expected that the assignment will be carried out in two steps. The Inception phase of the assignment will be a scoping phase, it will focus on development of the conceptual/ analytical framework for the assessment and program development. The second step will be the actual assessment and formulation of the program and consultation with stakeholders. The following specific tasks will be undertaken during respective phases.

Inception phase

• Prepare an inventory of key stakeholder groups in the agriculture sector and their roles building on the sector strategy, NAIP, ICA reports, literature review and consultation with the agriculture ministries,
• Develop test and finalize an analytical framework for analysis of capacity development,
• Make an overview of organisations and actors to be included in the analysis,
• Undertake a series of initial consultations with selected stakeholders in the sector to verify the analytical framework,
• Develop a detailed plan for formulation phase
• At the end of the inception phase, present and get feed-back on the inception report including the plan for the assessments and formulation phase in a stakeholder workshop convened by the FMARD.

Assessment and formulation phase

• Incorporate comments and inputs from the workshop into the plan for the assessment and formulation phase and develop detailed outline for this.
• Conduct targeted interviews of key groups in the sector/desk top reviews
• Analyze institutional potential and capacity gaps
• Analyze potential stakeholder synergies and recommend strategies for sustainable exploitation. This will include alignment of existing/ ongoing investments into the program.
• Develop program for capacity strengthening in the sector
• Develop phased implementation plan for the program
• Present Draft report at a workshop by the end of the assessment and formulation phase at a workshop convened by FMARD.
• Incorporate findings from the workshop and comments on the Draft report.
• Submit the Final report to the FMARD.

Responsibility of the Government
The Government will provide the following: ‐

• All relevant documentation, data and information regarding the execution of the assignment
• Arrange for reference group meetings and workshops with all the stakeholders
• Establish a task team assist and provide oversight role in the execution of the assignment.
• Facilitate conduction of stakeholders’ workshop to discuss the report

Responsibility of the Consultant

• Adhere to the terms of reference
• Produce high quality report that will provide solutions to problems and challenges facing the sector
• Finish the assignment within the set timeframe

Deliverables
The consultant will produce following outputs:

• Inception report, clearly defining the approach, methodology and workplan for the assignmen
• A draft report providing a costed agricultural institutional capacity strengthening program with a phased approach. This program should have a clear separation of what needs to be done at national level versus what needs to be done at sub national level. The consultant shall provide/propose the source of funding for each activity, including an operational plan. The report should also provide a detailed list of legal provisions that need to be amended to pave the way for the ISP implementation and the champions who will initiate the required legal amendments.
• A final report with content as specified in (ii) above.

Reporting 
Reporting to the Permanent Secretary MoFA, the consultant will be based at MoFA and work closely with all sector Ministry departments and stakeholders. The consultant is expected to make regular progress reports and consultation with the ICSP task team.

Duration, Location and Nature of the Appointment
The assignment is based in Abuja Nigeria and is expected to take place within eight weeks upon signing of the contract (40 days) as per table 1 below. The assignment is expected to commence in June, 2021 and be completed by the end of August 2021. The consultant may propose the most suitable time:

Table 1: Proposed Timetable

Qualifications, Competencies and Experience
The consultant should have a wide experience working in the agricultural and rural development sector, particularly in Africa.  Specific experience with the Nigeria agricultural sector will be an added advantage.  The consultant should have good analytical skills, experience with capacity development project/programme management, and monitoring and evaluation.  Experience with sector wide approach of programs implementation will be an added advantage.  Specifically, the consultant should have the following requirements:

(a) At least a Master’s degree in organizational development; human resource development; development studies, agriculture economics, sociology, rural development or any other related degree.

(b) At least 10 years working experience in agriculture and rural development

(c) Experience in design and formulation of bankable development projects and programs.

(d) Experience in designing capacity strengthening programmes is a must. The applicant will be expected to submit evidence of similar assessment/Capacity strengthening Programme development work done and/or published by the applicants

(e) Strong background working with Ministries of Agriculture or related Ministries in developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan African countries;

(f) Strong knowledge of agricultural sector in Africa and in the target countries (including respective policies, strategies and programs);

(g) Excellent skills and communicating and writing in English language

(h) Available to start the assignment immediately.

(i) Proven ability to deal with multiple stakeholders and a range of complex agriculture and development issues.

(j) Ability to create organizational work plans based on higher-level goals;

(k) Proficiency in both written and spoken English;

(l) Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and experience in working with a wide range of individuals in government, private sector and civil society;

Evaluation Criteria
(1) Qualifications & Competencies……………………………………………………………………..20%

– Relevant academic qualifications as indicated above

(2) Experience of the consultant…………………………………………………………………………50%

– Meet requirements as outlined under competencies

– Detailed reference list indicating the scope and magnitude of similar assignments carried out

(3)  Consultant’s methodology, work plan and understanding of the assignment………..30%

NB: Only the candidate with the best technical proposal equal or above 75% shall be considered for financial negotiations

Application Submission Requirements

(A) Technical Proposal
(1) Detailed Curriculum Vitae

(2) Detailed reference list indicating the scope and magnitude of similar assignments carried out

(3) Demonstrate possession of qualification and experience required

(4) Provide methodology, work plan and understanding of the assignment

(B) Financial Proposal
(1) The consultant shall provide a monthly fee for carrying out the assignment

(2) All applicable taxes (withholding taxes) should be quoted separately

(3) The financial proposal shall be inclusive of the applicable withholding taxes. If the financial proposal is silent on taxes, AGRA shall assume that these are inclusive;

(4) Reimbursable costs if applicable shall be quoted separately.

(5) Price must be quoted in USD ($)

(6) The financial proposal shall be submitted separately from the technical proposal and should be password protected. Only the best candidate shall be requested for the password to their financial proposal

Guidelines for Preparations and Submission of Proposals
(1) The proposals SHALL be submitted to procurement@agra.org by deadline indicated in the synopsis

(2) The proposal and ALL Attachments submitted via email SHALL NOT exceed 10MB

(3) VALIDITY of the proposal shall be for a period of 90 days from the date of bid closure.

(4) Financial proposal shall be sent as a separate attachment and MUST be password protected. The password shall be requested from the best technically qualified individual

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