LESOTHO SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT II
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY
LESOTHO SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT II
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
(CONSULTING SERVICES- INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANTS SELECTION METHOD)
LOAN NO: P165228
CREDIT NO: IDA -64220 -LS
ASSIGNMENT TITLE: MATCHING GRANTS OFFICER
REFERENCE NO: LS-MAFS- 362298-CS-CQS
DURATION: THIRTY-SIX MONTHS
DUTY STATION : PMU MASERU
BACKGROUND
The Government of Lesotho is implementing the Smallholder Agricultural Development Project (SADP) 2 with financial support from the World Bank, Government of Japan and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The project covers ten districts – Maseru, Leribe, Botha-Bothe, Mokhotlong, Thaba-Tseka, Berea Mafeteng, Mohale’sHoek, Quthing and Qacha’sNek. SADP is coordinated by the Project Management unit (PMU) based in Maseru. The project has four components:
- Component 1. Promoting Climate Smart Agricultural Practices and Advisory Services. This component aims at strengthening the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers to adjust and modify their production systems to minimize the potential future impacts from climate variability
- Component 2. Improving Agricultural Commercialization and Nutrition. This component will build on Component 1 by addressing financial constraints in the agricultural sector so that the training and advisory services provided under Component 1 is complemented with much-needed financing to help the farming community undertake productive and profitable investments.
- Component 3. Project Management, Coordination and Monitoring and Evaluation It is responsible for: implementation and coordination, financial management and procurement, communication, visibility and awareness programs, environmental management and safeguards, and monitoring and evaluation.
- Component 4. Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC). This is a zero allocation to partially cover emergency response via implementation of key activities by the appropriate agencies to respond to the emergency.
1. BACKGROUND OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The Government of Lesotho is implementing the Smallholder Agricultural Development Project (SADP) 2 with financial support from the World Bank, Government of Japan and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The project covers ten districts – Maseru, Leribe, Botha-Bothe, Mokhotlong, Thaba-Tseka, Berea Mafeteng, Mohale’sHoek, Quthing and Qacha’sNek. SADP is coordinated by the Project Management unit (PMU) based in Maseru. The project has four components:
• Component 1. Promoting Climate Smart Agricultural Practices and Advisory Services. This component aims at strengthening the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers to adjust and modify their production systems to minimize the potential future impacts from climate variability
• Component 2. Improving Agricultural Commercialization and Nutrition. This component will build on Component 1 by addressing financial constraints in the agricultural sector so that the training and advisory services provided under Component 1 is complemented with much-needed financing to help the farming community undertake productive and profitable investments.
• Component 3. Project Management, Coordination and Monitoring and Evaluation It is responsible for: implementation and coordination, financial management and procurement, communication, visibility and awareness programs, environmental management and safeguards, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Component 4. Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC). This is a zero allocation to partially cover emergency response via implementation of key activities by the appropriate agencies to respond to the emergency.
2. OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
Under the supervision of the Matching Grants Specialist (MGS) , the Matching Grants officer will be MGP Secretariat and will also serve as Assistant Secretary to the MGC (Matching Grants Committee). He/she will be responsible for assisting the Matching Grants Specialists with the day-to-day operation of the Matching Grant Programme under the guidance of the MGS and the Project Manager, including organizing training and information activities, proposal processing and grant administration, monitoring grant implementation and organizing evaluations.
3. TASKS, DELIVERABLES AND OUTPUTS
Working in close cooperation with PMU staff and under the overall guidance of the MGS and the MGC, the Matching Grants officer shall be responsible for the following:
• As assistant of the MGS the Matching Grants Secretariat, assume responsibility for the coordination and performance of the unit, including the independent technical reviewers, Project Field Officers, and other potential consultants, who will be involved directly or indirectly in various activities of the MGP implementation.
• Serve as a Secretary to the MGC and assist MGC’s Chairperson in organization of the MGC meetings, formulation of the MGC’s decisions and draw up the minutes of the MGC meetings.
• Organize information and awareness campaigns to make the range of potential grant recipients and potential service providers aware of the MGP financing opportunities, the eligibility criteria, and the nature of the support available, the application procedures, partnership arrangements between grant recipients and their service providers, the implementation and reporting requirements.
• Prepare and arrange for wide publication of the calls for proposals, receive and register applications, screen applications to ensure that they meet the terms and conditions as stipulated in the Programme Operational Manual, and check applications for compliance with budgetary and documentary requirements.
• Arrange for an adequate independent technical review of screened applications and thereafter submit the highest ranged applications to the Matching Grants Committee for final evaluation and recommendation for support under MGP;
• Arrange for the field verification of the applications recommended for support by the MGC and thereafter submit the list of proposed winning applications to the Project Manager.
• Draft Grant Agreements for the approved grant applications including clarification of the budgetary items, definition and determination of the milestones and targets, and development of the procurement, disbursement, and reporting schedules.
• Be responsible for supervision and monitoring of the grants agreements paying particular attention to milestones and targets, including review and approval of technical and financial progress reports submitted by grantees, field verification of the grant-projects implementation progress before disbursement of the next tranches, and preparation and submission to the finance unit of the payment requests for the next tranches for performing grant-projects;
• Organize for exchange of information on the activities of the MGP, lessons learned and the implications for replication and for developing market-based production in the programme districts, and elsewhere in the country.
• Work with the Project Manager, Project Accountant and Procurement Specialist to prepare the annual work plans and budget for operation of the CGP Secretariat; and
• Undertake other activities as agreed with the Project Manager.
4. CONTRACT DURATION AND CONDITION
• Contract duration is three years, but renewable upon satisfactory performance of the incumbent and subject to business continuity and availability of funds. The assignment is planned to condescendence by May/June 2023.
5. FACILITIES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE CLIENT
• The client shall render the officer with all such facilities as may be reasonably required to enable the officer to discharge his/her duties that is office space laptop/computer, landline telephone and transport.
6. DELIVERABLES AND FINAL OUTPUTS
• Monthly, Quarterly and annual progress report
• Internal and external audit response.
• Work plan.
• MGC Minutes.
• Monitoring reports
• Evaluation reports of technical reviewers
• Grants Evaluation report
7. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
• University degree in business administration, marketing, economics or finance, or a related field.
• Have 10 years working experience with at least 5 years in donor funded projects using competitive approaches, or similar operations, preferably linked to smallholder agriculture/rural business development projects;
• 5 years of relevant experience at the international level in international development issues, both in the field and headquarters
• Experience in agricultural marketing and agribusiness operations linked to the smallholder sector.
• Demonstrated knowledge of financial management, accounting, monitoring and supervision of such programmes and skills in preparation of reports and other supporting material.
• Experiences with running workshops and similar processes and providing training would also be important.
• Knowledge of the region and of Lesotho and the Lesotho agricultural and agribusiness sector would be an advantage.
8. Skills and Abilities
• Excellent analytical skills
• Effective planning and organisational skills
• Effective leadership, team building and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work effectively under stress and with minimal supervision
• Sensitivity to cultural and gender differences; and
• Computer literacy (especially in Excel, Word and Outlook)
• Effective inter-professional and inter-cultural communication skills, including verbal, listening and writing skills and the ability to set out a coherent argument in presenting and discussing issues at one-to-one and group interactions in fluent English and Sesotho
• Proficiency in English and Sesotho
8.CLIENT ASSIGNMENT MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS
- The consultant is subject to an annual performance review. The performance evaluation shall be based on the work program/ plan prepared at the beginning of each rated period.
- Project Director – SADP II is responsible for the coordination of activities acceptance and approval of the reports.
The short-listed candidate will be requested to participate in personal interviews and submit the names and contact details of personal referees who can attest to their abilities. A pre-employment screening and background check will be done on all short-listed candidates. The successful candidate must understand the objectives and delivery mechanisms of the projects’ portfolio. He/she must be willing to work in a team, be flexible to emerging or changing conditions, and undertake initiative in his/her broad field of actions.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III paragraph 3.14 to 3.17 of THE WORLD BANK’S Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, PROCUREMENT IN INVESTMENT PROJECT FINANCING Goods, Works, Non-Consulting and Consulting Services, Fourth Edition, November 2020, setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A consultant will be selected in accordance with selection of Individual Consultants Method set out in Procurement Regulations.
SUBMISSION
Expressions of interest accompanied by detailed CV must be delivered in a written form to the address below by email by 12:00hrs local time on the 16th June 2023 clearly marked ‘’ Expression of Interest for Matching Grants Officerâ€
To: Project Director SADP
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
Department of Livestock Services -Moshoeshoe 11
P.O. Box 24
Maseru 100 Lesotho.
Email: jobs@sadpii.org.ls copied to mnkhethoa@sadpii.org.ls
All applications should be submitted through email.
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
