As part of the operationalization of its Regional Agricultural Policy, ECOWAP, adopted in 2005, the ECOWAS Commission has undertaken the implementation of two important programs with the objective of promoting the contribution of young people for more efficient food systems:

• The regional offensive for the promotion of local milk value chains in West Africa, launched by ECOWAS in 2016, offers the opportunity for structured actions aimed at improving the situation and protecting the local milk market. The vision of this strategy is “A West Africa which emerges among the dairy basins of the African continent and gradually increases its contribution to regional trade in dairy products of community origin”.
• The regional strategy to support the employability of young people in the agro-silvo-pastoral and fisheries sector. The general objective of this strategy is to “facilitate the maintenance and socio-professional integration of young people (men and women) in the agro-silvo-pastoral, fisheries and agri-food value chains” to: (i) reduce the subsidy -employment and unemployment of active workers and, (ii) minimize rural exodus and uncontrolled migration.

The third phase of the Regional Support Program for Farmers' Organizations (PRAOP-3) is part of the combined implementation of the two priority investment programs developed to operationalize the regional strategies described above. It aims to contribute to a substantial increase in investments in local milk value chains to increase job creation opportunities for the benefit of unemployed or underemployed young people, with a view to slowing down the rural exodus and uncontrolled emigration in West Africa.

The Regional Offensive for the promotion of local milk value chains in West Africa is a strategy developed as a participatory and inclusive process of the stakeholders concerned. However, its implementation requires appropriation by ECOWAS member states through its integration in policies and strategies for securing the local milk sector.

The overall objective is to contribute to reducing rural exodus and uncontrolled emigration of young people through their professional involvement in the agrosylvopastoral and fisheries sector and in the agri-food value chains in West Africa and Chad.

The specific objective aims to improve access of young people (men and women) to decent and remunerative jobs in local milk value chains in targeted areas, through initiatives led by ECOWAS, the States, agricultural and socio-professional organizations and the private sector.

The main expected results are:

• Decent and remunerative employment opportunities for young people (men and women) in the local milk sector are increased, thanks to pilot projects;
• The technical and economic performance of local milk value chains is improved, as result of  increased productivity and milk production of the breeding systems, increased volumes of milk collected and processed and, better access to local dairy products markets;
• The conditions for the emergence of efficient local milk value chains that provide jobs for young people are improved;
• Funding for OPR mobilizing programs on the employability of young people is reinforced;
• Techno-economic models to strengthen the employability of young people in the local milk value chain are developed;
• The capacities of young people to integrate into the technical-economic models of local milk value chains are strengthened and;
• The organizational capacities of ECOWAS/DADR are strengthened: strategic management, resource mobilization, project implementation.

The operational implementation of the project will be structured around three components:

Component 1. Promotion of technical-economic models to strengthen the employability of young people in the local milk value chain

Component 2. Creation of an environment favorable to the development of local milk value chains

Component 3. Strengthening ECOWAP’s operational and strategic management capacities.

The activity will consist of providing technical (expertise) and financial support to countries to review their policies and strategies with a view in particular to creating an environment favorable to the development of local milk value chains and promoting business models of technical-economic entities for improving the supply of inputs for the provision of services in the production, collection, processing and distribution of dairy products.

Such a review of policies and strategies will make it possible to enhance the mainstreaming of the fundamentals of promoting the local milk sector in projects and programs and all other state or private interventions in the countries.

Objectives of the review

General objective

The general objective of the mission is to review national policies and strategies for the development and security of the local milk sector.

Specific objectives

These are, in particular:

• Verify the existence of said policy and strategy and their level of execution;
• Carry out a SWOT analysis of these national policies and strategies for developing and securing the local milk sector;
• Propose strategies for improving the document and the implementation of national policies and strategies;
• Determine the extent to which the results contributed to strengthening the capacities of actors in the milk sector;
• Formulate concrete and programmatic recommendations with a view to qualitatively and quantitatively improving the capacity of actors in the local milk sector.

Expected results

At the completion of the mission, the consultants must bring forth that:

• The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the various policy documents and national strategies for developing and securing the local milk sector are analyzed;
• The findings, results and programmatic recommendations of the study are shared with the main institutional stakeholders, professional organizations in the rural sector, the private sector, technical and financial partners and civil society with an interest in the sector.

Tasks to be performed by the consultant(s)

The consultants will have to carry out consultation and research work for the purposes of:

• Submitting, for approval, a document presenting the detailed methodology and the different steps necessary to carry out the study (Deliverable 1);
• Collecting the data and information necessary to conduct out the study;
• Carrying out a literary review in each country and at the community level with regard to the object of the study;
• Analyzing the main reports produced on the implementation of national policies and strategies for the development and security of the local milk sector;
• Developing a progress report presenting the progress of the study, a summary of the meetings and surveys held and the presentation plan for the current study document (Deliverable 2);
• Leading and facilitating a regional workshop to present the results and conclusions of the study during which participants will discuss strategic choices with a view to qualitatively and quantitatively improving national policy and strategy documents for the development and security of the local milk sector;
• Submitting a final report presenting the results of the study, recommendations and the concrete implementation plan for each State to improve the implementation of national policy and strategy documents for the development and security of the local milk sector at country level and indirectly in the community space (Deliverable 3).

Profile of skills

The mission will be led by a principal consultant who will rely on high-level national experts with proven skills in policy and strategy development.

• Hold at least a diploma in agro-economics, rural development, development strategy at baccalaureate level at least +5, or any other equivalent diploma;
• Have at least 10 years of experience in the field of research, collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data;
• Have more than ten years of relevant practical experience in agro-silvo-pastoral development, entrepreneurship and youth employability and food security;
• Have at least 10 years of experience in the field of developing development policy and strategy documents at the national or community level;
• Having led one mission relating to the agricultural development strategy;
• Have a good knowledge of the legal, regulatory and policy instruments on agricultural policy in the community (UEMOA, ECOWAS, etc.);
• Have a good knowledge of RAAF/ECOWAS procedures;
• Enjoy their civil and political rights with no history of previous moral or infamous punishment ;
• Have a perfect command (oral and written) of the three official languages of ECOWAS, namely English, French and Portuguese.

Key Staff

• Head of mission – Principal Consultant

• National consultants, research assistants, experts in development strategy, entrepreneurship, agrosylvopastoral and fisheries, economics

Institutional arrangement

Duration of the study

The proposed duration of the consultation is 90 days maximum.

The 90 days include travel time in the program intervention area as well as the activities of preparation and analysis of documentation, preparation of field surveys, interviews and collection of information, analysis of data and writing the report.

As an indication, a timeline of the mission is defined:

• 1 week for the meeting and scoping report;
• 1 week to validate the collection tools;
• 1 week to prepare and train collection agents;
• 4 weeks to collect data;
• 2 weeks to analyze the data and present the main results;
• 1 week to write a first draft of the report;
• 1 week to receive feedback;
• 1 week to integrate the feedback and finalize the document.

The consultant will propose a methodology in his technical offer. This methodology will be validated by the program team. The draft version of the report will be validated at a regional workshop.

Report and schedule of deliverables

Selection procedures

Eligibility and qualifications

The ECOWAS Commission, through the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF) hereby invites natural persons to express their interest in providing the required services by providing information demonstrating that they possess the required qualifications and relevant experience to carry out the mission. Qualification and experience criteria better described in the terms of reference.

The attention of interested individual consultants is particularly drawn to Article 117 of the revised ECOWAS Public Procurement Code ("Offences by Candidates, Bidders and Winners"), which provides information on corrupt or fraudulent practices in competition or contract performance. In addition, please refer to the following specific information on conflicts of interest related to this assignment in accordance with Article 118 of the revised ECOWAS Public Procurement Code.

Application file

The application file consists of:

1. A letter of interest ; 
2. A certified copy of the diploma or diplomas ;
3. Copies of certificates from similar services ;
4. A technical proposal:  It should present the consultant’s understanding of the project’s mandate and expectations, the proposed methodology, an indicative schedule of activities. The technical proposal must be presented in a concise and structured manner in the following order to include, in a limited manner, the following information :

        a. The detailed CV clearly highlighting the mandates carried out in connection with the consultation as well as copies of the certificates issued from similar services ;

        b.  Understanding the needs and expected services through the interpretation of the terms of  reference ;

        c. The approach and methods suggested to deal with the different parts required by the terms of reference, including a detailed list of data and information to be collected and the proposed collection methods and structures, institutions and contact persons, as well as a provisional work plan with deliverables to be issued with the corresponding deadlines.

5. Three professional references (first and last names, current functions, functions at the time of collaboration with the Consultant (e), email and telephone contacts).

Receipt of applications

• Deadline for receipt of applications: Avril 05, 2024 at 17:00 GMT.
• Submission links: Applications will be submitted by download to Dropbox   https://www.dropbox.com/request/hXrzFRusDFhWFZJ8Q6N9 
• Application format: The application must be in the form of a single PDF file.
• RAAF reserves the right not to consider applications that do not meet the above submission requirements.

​​​​​​​Selection method

A consultant will be selected according to the individual consultant selection method described in the ECOWAS "Procurement Regulations". An interview to assess knowledge, skills and abilities may be arranged with the best candidates. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

RAAF reserves the right not to act on this advice.

​​​​​​​Request for additional information

Interested consultants can obtain further information by writing to the following e-mail addresses: procurement@araa.org  , cc : ctienon@araa.org  , mnakorba@araa.org, bkpessiglo@araa.org    with the subject "SCI05- PRAOP3- review study ".