Job Title: Agriculture Marketing Specialist – West Africa Staple Foods Markets Programme
Employer: Development Associate, Inc. (DAI)
Location: Africa
Location Details: Based in Accra, Ghana – with travel to Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria
Department: Private Sector Development
Division: Economic Growth
DAI is an employee-owned global development company. For 40 years, we have worked on the frontlines of international development, tackling fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governments, and instability. Currently, DAI is delivering results that matter in some 60 countries. Our integrated development solutions turn ideas into impact by bringing together fresh combinations of expertise and innovation across multiple disciplines—crisis mitigation and stability operations, democratic governance and public sector management, agriculture and agribusiness, private sector development and financial services, economics and trade, HIV/AIDS and disease control, water and natural resources management, and energy and climate change. Our clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and national governments.
Objective of the programme: – The focus of the programme is on providing support to the production and trade in staple food markets between Ghana and Burkina Faso, and between Nigeria and Niger. The programme will work to enable policies that allow for equitable and efficient regional market development and will aim to tackle the cause of multiple market failures by deploying carefully targeted interventions across the region. The anticipated outcomes of the five year project are; better business models for agricultural production; better business models for agricultural marketing and; agriculture and trade policies and regulations rationalised and improved. – The programme consists of two main activities; 1) Challenge fund to provide finance to innovative business models in food production and marketing and 2) Policy Facility to provide evidence, analysis and advocacy for policy and regulatory reform.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Supporting and overseeing the development of a comprehensive market analysis
• Working with small holder farmers to improve the grading, packing, storage, processing, distribution, advertising and scale of staple food in West Africa
• Work with the various stakeholders in identified market systems (value chains) to facilitate interventions that will enhance regional trade, efficient value chain coordination and reduced transactions costs nationally and regionally
• Communicate at all levels of the value chain from small farmers to executive level discussions with key decision makers in the private and public sectors
• Engagement of key stakeholders within value chains to facilitate change
• Champion the development of inventory credit and sound warehouse receipts systems
• Champion developments of on farm storage and small trader warehouses
• Develop effective methods for stock managements
Requirements:
• PSD or value chain experience in West Africa
• Experience working to improve the storage, processing, distribution and advertising of staple food.
• Making Markets work for the poor (M4P) experience is desirable
• Experience in developing and implementing sound storage interventions to improve market functioning
• Fluency in English and French
• Extensive networks of private sector and other industry players in West Africa
Project Location: The Project will be based in Accra, Ghana with travel to Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria
Length of the project: 5 years
Anticipated Project Start date: October 2013
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