REF NO: AERC/PROC/RFP/TMAE/2023-2024/2807/013

Background

The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) is one of the most active Research and Capacity Building Institutions (RCBIs) in Africa. Established in 1988, AERC is a public, not-for-profit organisation devoted to advanced economic policy research and training. The AERC’s mission is to strengthen local capacity for an independent, rigorous inquiry into problems about the management of African economies, through programmes that combine economic research with postgraduate training in economics and agricultural economics, supported by an interactive communications and policy outreach programme.

AERC’s Collaborative Master of Science Programme in Agricultural and Applied Economics (CMAAE) gives a voice to issues related to agriculture, food security and environmental management including climate change. To enable household food security, adequate nutrition and income generation, African agriculture needs to be transformed from subsistence to a commercialized agricultural enterprise. To this end, AERC calls for a consultant to train farmers on entrepreneurship in agribusiness to help transform Tanzanian agriculture.

Call for Consultancy Services

AERC calls for applications from potential consultants to train farmers in a three-day workshop on “farming as a business” to contribute to the transformation of Tanzanian agriculture from subsistence to a vibrant, commercialized agricultural enterprise, proposed for February 13 – 15, 2024, in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. 

The three-day workshop is a specialized short-term farmer training that is part of AERCs efforts to engage the private sector in mutually beneficial research and training activities to enhance innovation, and to deepen and broaden AERC capacity building. The themes of the training include financial inclusion, financing agribusiness, market linkages, farming as a business, value addition in agribusiness, and mitigation of climate change, among others. Interested consultants must provide CVs indicating that they are qualified to perform the services by describing similar assignments and indicating availability of appropriate skills.  

Scope of the Consultancy

The scope of work broadly entails delivery of entrepreneurship skills with the following subject matter areas: Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs); Farming as a Business; Financial Literacy; Financial Management; Credit Management; Investment in Agribusiness; Keeping Farm and Agribusiness records; Risk Management in Agribusiness; and Case Studies of Frontier Innovations in Agribusiness. Given the strengths of online delivery systems, the consultant, with the support of the AERC will upload the training materials (notes, power point slides, assignments, etc) onto the AERC Learning Management System for continued access to course materials by the technologically savvy agri-preneurs.

Deliverables and Expected Outcomes

The consultant will be required to provide training materials (notes, power point presentations, tutorials, videos, animations, and examples) and instruct the trainees under a workshop environment. This will be followed by a field visit to a model mixed farm for practical learning. Upon completion of the training, a report to the AERC/CMAAE detailing the following will be required of the consultant: The preparedness of the learners to undertake the training; AERC/CMAAE support offered to the consultant to deliver the training; The topics covered, their sequencing and appropriateness to agricultural transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa; Any constraints in developing the training materials and course delivery; and Recommendations for future adoption in the preparation and execution of similar trainings. 

Qualifications and Selection Criteria

1. Must possess a bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Agricultural Economics, Development Economics, Business Management or related field. Possession of MSc in the same fields will be an added advantage.
2. Have at least five years’ hands-on experience in farmer training in farming as a business with bias to agribusiness financing.
3. Familiarity with use of various multimedia appropriate to the presentation of content to adult learners.
4. Ability to translate technical content and train in the local, national language that is understood by most farmers. This opportunity is only open to Tanzania nationals.

Application Procedure

An application letter addressed to The Executive Director, African Economic Research Consortium, Mebank Tower, 3rd Floor, Jakaya Kikwete Road, P.O. Box 62882 – 00200; Tel: (254-20) 273-4150, Nairobi, Kenya, clearly indicating “Consultant for Farmer Training on Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness” on the subject line, and an updated CV can be uploaded on https://training.aercafrica.org/facultyresearchgrantapplicant before January 24, 2024. The CV should clearly indicate similar consultancy assignments undertaken and have a personal declaration as follows: – 

“I hereby certify that the details provided in my CV are at the best of my knowledge true, complete, and accurate. I acknowledge that an inaccurate statement or omission in a personal declaration or other document might result in rejection of my application or termination of my contract. The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) may verify any statements which I make in my application”