Agricultural Finance Expert with focus on Agriculture at Mercy Corps

Location: Abuja with frequent travels

Background

• Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by building secure, productive and just communities. Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on market systems innovations, improved governance, humanitarian response and conflict mitigation.
• The AgriFin in Nigeria project will follow a three pronged approach: 1) Generating new knowledge products to improve the supply of financial services for farms and agri-based rural enterprises; 2) increase demand of farmers and managers of agri-based rural enterprises for financial services; and 3) increase capacity of financial institutions in the development of adapted financial services for farmers and agri-based rural enterprises.
• The project will work closely with a range of stakeholders, including agriculture extension workers, employees and managers at agri-based enterprises and financial institutions.

Consultant Activities

• Responsibility for providing technical advice and support to farms and agri-based enterprises
• Planning and coordination of activities in the central-northern project region
• Planning and implementation of capacity building measures with actors from the agricultural and financial sector
• Facilitating the cooperation with stakeholders
• Main contact person for partner organizations and other stakeholders in the central-northern project area
• Provision of trainings to farms and agri-based enterprises and to a lesser extent for stakeholders of the financial sector
• Provision of guidance to short-term experts
• Contribution to M&E and reporting
• Frequent travels in the project regions

Profile

• University Degree in Agronomy or Agricultural Economics
• At least 7 years of professional experience in agricultural finance
• Expertise and work experience with regard to agricultural finance, farming economics and smallholder agriculture
• Sound understanding of agricultural value chains in Nigeria, particularly rice, maize, cassava, potato and cocoa
• Experience in planning, organizing and facilitating training and capacity building measures for farmers and agri-based enterprises
• Experience in working with international development agencies as well as public and private stakeholders at different levels
• Good understanding of the financial sector in Nigeria
• Professional experience in Nigeria and/or countries in West Africa with similar socio-economic conditions
• Proficient knowledge in English is required (at least C1 level according to the common European Framework of Reference for Languages)
• Knowledge of dominant local language of the northern (Hausa) or southern project region (Yoruba)
• Team oriented

Timeframe / Schedule:

• The period of this consultancy is a maximum of 46 months beginning in November 2018. This position is pending funding and approval.