Senior Consultant – Formulation of the Africa Food Systems Transformation Action Plan (2027–2031)
AFDB1JP00001707
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Not Applied
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Posted On
2026-11-10
Period
2026-12-01 to 2027-05-31
Job Type
Temporary Full Time
Location
Abidjan 01CIV
Category
Business Professional
Description
Application Close Date
2026-11-23
Engagement Type
Individual Consultant
Job Family
1.Agriculture
A. Background Objectives
1. Introduction and Background Africa’s food systems face persistent productivity gaps, underdeveloped agro-industrial value chains, trade barriers, climate and fragility risks, nutrition challenges, and constrained access to long-term finance. Building on the experience of the Feed Africa Strategy, the Bank is preparing AFSTAP 2027–2031 to provide a focused, results-oriented framework for food sovereignty, competitive agribusiness, employment and resilient food systems. The draft AFSTAP is organised around four strategic objectives: (i) unlocking capital at scale; (ii) building competitive and integrated food systems that drive agro-industrialisation; (iii) making food systems an engine of decent jobs, especially for youth and women; and (iv) securing resilient, climate-smart and sustainable food systems. It also addresses operational arrangements, partnerships, financing and resource mobilisation, monitoring and evaluation, risks, theory of change, and a results framework. AFSIP is envisaged as an operational mechanism for developing and financing country- and regional-level investment opportunities. The Bank requires specialised short-term support to consolidate analytical evidence, reconcile internal and external feedback, improve feasibility and institutional ownership, and prepare the accompanying operational tools required for implementation. The assignment will complement—not substitute for—the Bank’s internal working group, management review and formal approval processes.
The broad objective of the assignment is for the individual consultant to: • Review Feed Africa implementation lessons and consolidate the strategic framework for AFSTAP 2027–2031. • Strengthen the Action Plan’s theory of change, strategic priorities, results framework, implementation arrangements and costing. • Support the operationalisation of the Africa Food Systems Investment Platform (AFSIP), including private-sector engagement and investment mobilisation. • Coordinate internal and external consultations, integrate feedback and prepare revised drafts and management materials. • Prepare a phased, actionable 2027–2031 implementation roadmap and final handover package.
2. Objective of the Assignment To support the Bank in producing a coherent, technically robust, consultatively validated and operationally feasible AFSTAP 2027–2031, with an actionable implementation roadmap, financing and investment mobilisation approach, results framework and institutional accountability arrangements.
(see details in the attached TOR)
B. Scope of work
1. Scope of Work and Specific Tasks 1.1 Inception, evidence review and diagnostic • Review the latest AFSTAP and AFSIP drafts, associated results and costing annexes, Feed Africa completion and portfolio evidence, relevant corporate strategies, regional integration commitments, AU/CAADP/Kampala frameworks, Dakar II Compacts, and relevant partner programmes. • Prepare a concise evidence and gap assessment distinguishing verified results from projections, proposed targets and unvalidated financing assumptions; identify overlaps, inconsistent definitions, unsupported claims and critical implementation bottlenecks. • Agree with the Task Manager a consultation map, editorial architecture, quality assurance checklist, methodology, milestones and document control protocol. 1.2 Strategic formulation and prioritisation • Clarify the four strategic objectives and operational delivery pillars, ensuring each priority intervention has a clear rationale, geographic or value-chain selectivity, intended beneficiary, institutional owner and feasible delivery pathway. • Integrate agricultural productivity, seeds and inputs, climate-smart technologies, irrigation, post-harvest systems, logistics, agro-processing, regional food trade, food safety, nutrition, women’s economic empowerment, youth jobs, digital systems and fragility-sensitive approaches. • Strengthen the theory of change and causal chain from enabling reforms and investment through outputs, outcomes and food-system impacts; identify assumptions, dependencies and trade-offs. • Prepare a concise alignment matrix mapping AFSTAP to the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy, corporate priorities, country and regional strategies, AU commitments and relevant partner initiatives. 1.3 AFSIP, private sector and resource mobilisation • Explain how AFSIP supports market validation, country-owned origination, project preparation, de-risking, financing and implementation, while respecting the distinct roles of sovereign and non-sovereign operations. • Identify practical pathways to bankable investments in priority food-system value chains, including sponsor readiness, commercial viability, enabling infrastructure, aggregation, off-take, policy constraints and safeguards. • Develop a private-sector engagement approach covering agribusinesses, financial institutions, local SMEs, cooperatives, women- and youth-led firms, institutional investors and development finance partners. • Assess options for blended finance, guarantees, technical assistance, concessional resources and public-private complementarity; identify key risks and additionality without presuming financing commitments. • Prepare a transparent resource mobilisation framework that distinguishes Bank financing, partner co-financing, private investment and external resources, avoiding double counting and separating ambitions from secured commitments. • Propose criteria and a simple template for screening initial country/regional value-chain opportunities for investment readiness and AFSTAP contribution.
(see details in the attached TOR)
C. Deliverables Expected
The schedule below assumes a six-month contract. The precise dates and acceptance criteria will be confirmed at inception and may be accelerated to meet Bank processing milestones. Throughout the contract: concise fortnightly progress updates identifying completed work, pending inputs, risks, decisions needed and next actions. Drafts should be delivered in editable Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats, as applicable.
D. Duration and Timetable for the Assignment
The Consultancy is for six (6) months from 1 December 2026 to 31 May 2027, subject to completion of the Bank’s applicable contracting formalities. Any missions require prior written authorisation. Remuneration, reimbursable expenses and payment milestones will be governed by the signed contract and applicable Bank rules. No fee or start date is committed by this draft TOR.
E. Bank Contribution and Institutional Arrangement
The African Development Bank will provide overall strategic guidance and institutional oversight for the assignment. The Consultant will be embedded within the Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department (AHAI) and will report to the Director, Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department (AHAI), through the designated Task Manager. The Task Manager will coordinate access to approved background materials, consolidate institutional feedback, validate priorities and review deliverables. The consultant will coordinate with the interdepartmental working group and relevant Bank units only through agreed channels. The Bank will retain responsibility for policy decisions, financing commitments, transaction approvals, official consultations and clearance. The consultant is responsible for timely, technically sound work products and accurate documentation of comments and agreed revisions.
The Bank will facilitate access to relevant program documents, data, and stakeholders necessary for the successful execution of the assignment. The Bank will be responsible for coordinating institutional engagement and providing quality assurance of deliverables. Administrative and contractual matters will be managed in accordance with the Bank’s rules and procedures.
F. Duty Station
The consultant is expected to be based in Abidjan or to work under a Bank-approved hybrid arrangement
G. Essential Specialized Skills/Knowledge/Competencies
• At least a Master’s degree in agricultural economics, development economics, food systems, agricultural policy, agribusiness, development finance or a closely related discipline; a PhD is an advantage. • At least 15 years of relevant professional experience, including significant work on African agriculture, food systems strategy, policy formulation or development investment programmes. • Demonstrated experience preparing corporate or continental strategies, action plans, results frameworks, costed implementation plans and executive-level policy documents. • Strong understanding of agricultural value chains, regional food markets, public/private investment, blended finance and resource mobilisation; direct experience with multilateral development banks is highly desirable. • Proven ability to analyse complex evidence, reconcile diverse stakeholder inputs, facilitate senior-level consultations and translate strategy into implementable operations. • Excellent English drafting, presentation and stakeholder-management skills; working knowledge of French is an advantage. • Advanced proficiency in Word, Excel and PowerPoint; familiarity with results-based management and data analysis.
H. Supervisor
The consultant will report to the Director, Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department (AHAI), through the designated Task Manager.
Consultancy Input Days
130.00
Qualifications
Qualification
Assessment
Regular Consultant
Less than 32 years old at the time of signing the contract and during contract execution
