Call for Expression of Interest (EOI) - TAAT Technical Advisor-Seed Systems

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE (IITA)

INTERNAL & EXTERNAL ADVERTISEMENT

Call for Expression of Interest (EOI) - TAAT Technical Advisor-Seed Systems

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to generating agricultural innovations to address Africa's most pressing challenges, including hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Collaborating with partners across sub-Saharan Africa, IITA aims to improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resources. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agricultural research partnership working towards a food-secure future. For more information, visit www.iita.org.

The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), is a major continent-wide program designed to boost agricultural productivity across the continent by rapidly delivering proven technologies to millions of farmers. The overall goal of TAAT is to double crop, livestock, and fish productivity by expanding access to productivity-increasing technologies to more than 40 million smallholder farmers across Africa. TAAT aims to generate an additional 120 million metric tons (MT) of food while lifting 130 million people out of poverty. Getting certified seeds of the most modern varieties into the hands of tens of millions of farmers is the primary objective of TAAT. 

The program supports the Feed Africa Initiative of the AfDB by providing the needed, proven agricultural and food processing technologies and implementation strategies for inclusion within the Bank’s loans to Regional Member Countries (RMCs). It is implemented by the Regional Technology Delivery Infrastructure (RTDI) made up of the Commodity Technology Delivery Compacts (Compacts); the TAAT Clearinghouse (CH); the Program Management Unit (PMU), and a Program Steering Committee (PSC).  The Compacts are currently composed of 11 CGIAR centers, 3 Advanced regional R&D African centers, National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) institutions, private sector partners and development partners. IITA is the executing agency of TAAT.

The Program Management Unit (PMU) is responsible for overall coordination and implementation of the TAAT program providing oversight and direction of the program.  This is achieved through the provision of technical assistance from technical experts supporting the project. Specifically, the PMU team consists of experts from M&E, Procurement, Financial Management, Environment and Social Safeguards, and Gender, all working together to ensure delivery of TAAT activities in close collaboration with partners to get proven technologies into the programs of the government’s agricultural infrastructure.

As the Executing Agency (EA) for TAAT, IITA will continue to oversee program implementation in partnership with other CGIAR Centers and specialized agencies acting as Implementing Agencies for specific components.

OBJECTIVES OF CONSULTANCY SERVICES

The objective of this consultancy is to engage an Individual Consultant for the position of Technical Advisor - Seed Systems, seconded to Rwanda's Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), to provide technical leadership and coordinate implementation of the project "Building a Sustainable Private Sector-Led Seed Sector in Rwanda's Food Basket Sites," in support of a more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable seed system in Rwanda.

Specifically, the consultancy aims to strengthen Rwanda's seed sector through a market-driven, private sector-led approach, by supporting youth Agripreneurs in building profitable enterprises in certified maize seed production and basic seed potato multiplication, in partnership with anchor seed companies, Farmer Service Centers, and financial institutions. Beyond the technical production support provided by anchor seed companies, the consultancy will also strengthen youth enterprises' entrepreneurial, financial management, and business development capacities to ensure long-term sustainability, while ensuring implementation aligns with national priorities through liaison with the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) and the Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA) on harmonizing seed certification protocols.