As part of the implementation of the regional storage strategy adopted in 2012 by ECOWAS, the European Commission granted €56 million in funding to ECOWAS for the implementation of the Support Project to Food Security Storage in West Africa (Convention N°ROC/FED /24-947).

The project is made up of 5 components whose implementation is organized as follows:

• The French Development Agency (AFD) ensures the fiduciary management of the activities of components 1, 2 and 3 which concern the support to storage levels, i.e. the constitution of the Regional Reserve (including the setting up of governance bodies and instruments and the purchase of cereals), the support to national storage systems and the support to local storage organizations with a budget of more than EUR 28 million;
• the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) through its AGRHYMET Regional Center (CRA) is responsible for the implementation of component 4, which concerns ECOAGRIS (regional information system), at a cost of EUR 18 million;
• The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) is responsible for the fiduciary management of Component 5 activities at a cost of EUR 4.8 million. The activities of this component, which is a strategic component of the project, concern the institutional building of RAAF, decision support and overall project coordination.

Under Component 5, AECID and ECOWAS agreed to use the services of two Technical Assistants to support Consultant to support the Executive Director of RAAF to supervise the Support Project to Food Security Storage in West Africa and lead the organization of the International Conference on Security Stocks and the building of a multilateral partnership.

MISSIONS AND TASKS OF CONSULTANTS

The Technical Assistant to the Executive Director of RAAF for the supervision of the Support Project to Food Security Storage in West Africa will perform the following main tasks:

Support the Executive Director of RAAF in the preparation and organization of the International Conference on the Regional Storage System and the building of a multilateral partnership

As part of the reflections on the sustainability of the regional storage system considering the experiences of the implementation of the Stock project and those of the various partners and actors in the field, ECOWAS, in collaboration with its technical and financial partners, plans to organize an International Conference on the regional storage system and the building of a multilateral partnership.

The objective of this international conference scheduled for 2020 will be to analyze and discuss the achievements and lessons from the ECOWAS regional storage strategy, exchange on storage policies and practices, and lay the foundations for a renewed multilateral partnership to strengthen West Africa's resilience to food and nutrition crises.

The Technical Assistant will support the Executive Director of RAAF in facilitating the organization of the International Conference. In particular, the following support will be provided:

Support for the intellectual preparation of the Conference and for the design of the various technical and political sequences of the Conference:

• Facilitate communication and structure exchanges on the organization of the Conference between RAAF and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources in Abuja, between ECOWAS and some key partners (European Union, AECID, AFD, etc.);
• Preparing draft agendas;
• Contribution to the preparation of the panels, identification of contributors and mobilization of speakers, participants and moderators;
• Coordinate the preparation of the content and supporting documents for the Conference;
• In this capacity, the Technical Assistant will closely follow all the studies and work related to the preparation of the contents of the International Conference, including the capitalization of the experience of the project, the analysis of the economic model, the production of the report on the regional storage system as well as various technical studies. He/she will ensure the quality of the said documents and monitor their translation into the three ECOWAS working languages.

Support for the coordination of organizational and logistical aspects:

• Facilitate the preparatory meetings on the organization of the Conference;
• Participate in the identification of participants, prepare invitations and follow up;
• Accompany the field missions necessary for the preparation of logistical, technical and institutional aspects;
• Contribute to the preparation of the terms of reference of the contracts to be launched within the framework of the organization of the Conference in conjunction with the Procurement Department of RAAF;
• Coordinate and follow up on services (transportation of participants, conference room rentals, etc.);

Support for the definition and implementation of the communication strategy

• Participate in the design of the overall communication strategy for the Conference and its outcomes (main messages, main targets, main media, including innovative media);
• Provide support to RAAF Communication Officer in the implementation of the Conference communication strategy through the preparation of contents, choice of communication media and formats, mobilization of the media, monitoring of outsourced services, etc., organization of information on social networks,
• Coordinate and contribute to the development of the Conference report and other products arising from the Conference, in collaboration with the 2 Technical Divisions of RAAF.
• Contribute to the preparation of the multilateral partnership on the storage system for the post-2020 period
• Contribute to the definition of the concept and its implementation;
• Mobilize the different categories of partners (aid agencies, foundations, the private sector, NGOs, etc.).

Support the Executive Director of RAAF in overseeing the following other activities:

• Follow-up of files with the donor and delegated stakeholders;
• Capitalization of the achievements and results of the current project;
• Building a multilateral partnership;
• Contributing to the quality control of the documents produced in the framework of the Stock project by ensuring the correct use of the agreed formats, the consistency, relevance, and quality of the information presented, etc.
• Coordinate the preparation of the Steering Committee and Technical Monitoring Committees.
• Contributing to the weekly coordination of the Storage Support Project activities;
• Contributing to the capitalization of the project's achievements and lessons learned;
• Contributing to the quality control of the documents produced in the framework of the Stocks project;
• Contributing to the organization of workshops related to the different activities (verification of planning, preparation of documents, lists of participants, minutes and reports, etc.).
• Monitoring the preparation of the Steering Committee and various meetings, etc.;
• Participating in country missions
• Participating in information management, communication and visibility;
• Carry out any other mission requested by RAAF
• Being involved in any other mission requested by RAAF.

Management and Supervision of Services

The Technical Assistant shall be placed under the authority of the Executive Director of RAAF to whom he/she shall report. Close collaboration will be established with the two technical divisions and the Administration and Finance Division of RAAF, as well as with the Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Department of the ECOWAS Commission.

The supervision of the work, the proposal of modifications deemed appropriate or, if necessary, the proposal of suspension of activities for duly justified reasons is the responsibility of ECOWAS/RAAF, as the project executing agency and contracting party, and AECID, as the delegated institution for the implementation of component 5 of the project "support to the decision support mechanism and capacity building of the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food".

Mission location

The service will be provided at the headquarters of the ECOWAS Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food based in Lome in the Togolese Republic. However, travel is to be expected within the ECOWAS geographical area.

Qualifications / Experiences

The Technical Assistant will be required to meet the following qualifications and competencies:

• Hold a graduate degree in the fields of agro-economics, socio-economics, agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries development, food and nutritional security, communication, administration or any other related discipline;
• Have a strong experience in organizing large international events (conferences, fora, seminars/workshops, etc.);
• Have at least 8 years' experience in the areas concerned by the project (food security, reserves, food crisis prevention and management mechanisms, food trade, regional integration, etc.);
• Leadership and strong capacity in report writing, communication/visibility materials, etc.;
• Have a real mastery of office software: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
• Have a perfect command of both spoken and written English and French. Mastery of Portuguese would be an additional asset.

Duration of Mission

The Technical Assistant will be given an initial contract of six (6) months which may be renewed based on performance for a period not exceeding 25 November 2020.

Language

Candidates must be fluent in one of the 3 ECOWAS working languages (French, English, Portuguese). Knowledge of a second language is an asset.

Applications file

The application package is made up of:

• A letter of expression of interest, including availability time;
• A recent curriculum vitae detailing professional experience and similar assignments;
• Three professional references (first and last names, current functions, functions at the time of collaboration with the Consultant, email and telephone contacts)
• Certified copy of the highest diploma;
• Copy of the certificates of work or service rendered, listed in the curriculum vitae.

Incomplete application will not be considered.

Submission of applications

Interested candidates should send their applications to the following address, not later than 15February2020by 5 PMGMT:

Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF)

83, Rue de la Pâture, Lomé-Togo (sealed envelope «Consultant to support the Executive Director of RAAF to supervise the Support Project to Food Security Storage in West Africa and lead the organization of the International Conference on Security Stocks».

procurement@araa.org

With object: « Consultant to support the Executive Director of RAAF to supervise the Support Project to Food Security Storage in West Africa and lead the organization of the International Conference on Security Stocks

NB: Applications which are not marked «Consultant to support the Executive Director of RAAF to supervise the Support Project to Food Security Storage in West Africa and lead the organization of the International Conference on Security Stocks» will not be considered.

Selection method

A Consultant will be selected according to the qualification-based selection method as defined in the ECOWAS procurement Code. An interview session may be organized with a short list of consultants.