Background

The African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) is a specialized technical office of the Department Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (DARBE) of the African Union Commission (AUC). The vision of AU-IBAR is: “An Africa in which animal resources contribute significantly to integration, prosperity and peace”. Its Mission is: to provide leadership and integrated support services for the development of animal resources in Africa. AU-IBAR’s mandate is to support and coordinate the sustainable development and utilization of animal resources (livestock, fisheries and wildlife) to enhance nutrition and food security and contribute to the wellbeing and prosperity of the people in the Member States of the AU.

AU-IBAR is the main vehicle for the AU to develop appropriate and independent expertise to support and coordinate the sustainable development and utilization of animal resources to enhance food and nutrition security and contribute to the wellbeing and prosperity of the people in the AU Member States. Under this mandate, AU-IBAR is implementing the Africa Pastoral Markets Development (APMD) Platform, a 4-year pan-African initiative for investment/market-enabled, adaptive transformation for pastoralism. AU-IBAR recognizes that pastoralists are critical for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Africa as:

• Pastoralists account for 2 – 7% of national GDP and contribute 60 - 80% of meat across Africa (up to 50% of meat exports in many geographies)
• Demand for meat and milk in SSA expected to increase by more than 250% by 2050
• Pastoralists provide valuable ecosystem services, using indigenous climate adaptive practices on marginal lands, sequestering carbon, and managing water in ASAL regions
• Despite potential benefits, pastoral programs have focused on humanitarian activities instead of integrating pastoralists with livestock markets

However, pastoralists are severely marginalized and disproportionately impacted by climate change. Historic investments, though significant, have had limited impact. Given the increasing demand for livestock products, pressure on natural resources, and climate shocks, AU-IBAR is committed to promoting the adoption of a long-term systems lens and coordinated actions within and across countries and sectors/stakeholders to tailor approaches to pastoral communities and archetypes.

With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), AU-IBAR is hosting and operationalizing the APMD Platform, a 4-year continental initiative, which will build on prior programs and strengthen the pastoral sector enabling environment to:

• Integrate pastoralists with livestock markets, create positive cycles for investment in the value chain, strengthen business continuity, and provide more affordable livestock-sourced products for more consumers.
• Unlock the full potential of up to USD Three Billion of planned pastoral investments over the next 3-5 years
• Strengthen best practice & knowledge sharing for promoting pastoralists’ integration into livestock markets; and
• Identify potential areas to shift long-term funding and investments for better outcomes for pastoralists.

The APMD Platform will strategically influence, promote and provide visibility of market-focused interventions to enhance pastoral integration into livestock markets, among key stakeholders. The platform will achieve that by convening and coordinated actions through multi-stakeholder fora designed to implement priority actions under the three pillars below:

• Strengthening and diffusing functional data ecosystems,
• Policy strengthening and strategic implementation, and
• Strengthening the pastoralists integration in livestock marketing.

Objective

For the implementation of this project, AU-IBAR seeks the services of a Pillar Lead Data Ecosystem and Diffusion Expert. Under the direct supervision of the APMD Platform Coordinator at AU-IBAR, the “Pillar Lead - Data Ecosystem and Diffusion Expert” will contribute to the implementation and sustainable operationalization of APMD-Platform, focusing on the “Functional Data Ecosystems and Diffusion” activities, such as, building data management capacities among key national stakeholders, and drive scaling of livestock identification and traceability systems; to inform and optimize pastoral sector transformation policies, investments, and interventions.

The main functions to be undertaken will be:

• Data management strategies development and implementation
• Data standards, and Quality Assurance
• Stakeholder Engagement and Capacity Building
• Data Technology and Innovation
• Market assessment, analysis, and market information integration
• Capacity building

Key Responsibilities

Project implementation and management

• Facilitate assessment to identify key data ecosystem gaps in pastoral sector in the targeted geographies or countries and across Africa
• Lead the design and implementation of data-gaps-driven priority interventions to support the strategic objectives of the African Pastoral Markets Development Platform, ensuring on-time delivery, within platform scope, and budget.
• Support data ecosystem key stakeholders mapping and profiling and promote their engagement
• Develop and lead the implementation of a comprehensive strategy for enabling functional data ecosystems and information diffusion in the pastoral sector in the targeted geography.
• Support the establishment and operationalization of a pastoral data management platform and data ecosystems for the pastoral sector.
• Lead, mentor, and support the National Data Pillar Working Groups, ensuring cohesive and effective operations towards informing and executing data pillar goals

Information and Knowledge Sharing

• Coordinate data management and promote knowledge sharing among the platform stakeholders.
• Provide input and feedback on implementing countries in relation to sustainable functional data ecosystems and information diffusion in the pastoral sector.
• Identify and advocate for innovative data technologies and methodologies that can bridge pastoral sector data gaps, promote the implementation of solutions, and enhance the platform's impact on African pastoral markets.

Training and Capacity Building

• Coordinate designing and delivering capacity building programs and materials, on pastoral data management, for both the platform staff and pastoral stakeholders.
• Enhance partnerships with academic institutions, tech companies, and other organizations to enhance the platform’s capacity-building initiatives.
• Oversee engaging and capacity building of the national pillar team members for ensuring skills and knowledge to excel in their roles.

M&E Reporting, Resource Management

• Produce monthly and quarterly project implementation reports, analyzing pastoral sector data and tracking progress based on KPIs.
• Manage data ecosystem risks and challenges, developing contingency plans to address potential issues promptly.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of a robust M&E framework for data pillar activities.
• Ensure adherence to ethical standards in data collection, analysis, and sharing, respecting privacy and confidentiality norms.
• Contribute to the articulation of the long-term exit strategy for the platform sustainability.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisiors.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

1. A comprehensive strategy for data ecosystem strengthening and efficient information diffusion in the pastoral sector of the targeted countries/ geographies and beyond.  
2. A comprehensive pillar activity implementation plans for the national data pillar teams, including skills assessment, capacity building programs, career progression paths.
3. A map and coordinated-action plans, on data ecosystem, for the key partners / stakeholders / actors in the pastoral livestock marketing chain at national and regional levels in IGAD, ECCAS and ECOWAS
4. Multi-Stakeholder Engagement Frameworks for engaging various stakeholders, (including pastoral communities, market actors, and regulatory and development partners).
5. A functional Data Sharing Platform for stakeholders networking and promoting investment and marketing of pastoral livestock.
6. Regular/periodical Pastoral Market Analysis Reports to identify trends, opportunities, and challenges within pastoral markets, informing strategic decisions.
7. Roadmaps for data-driven innovation within the platform, identifying opportunities for leveraging new technologies and methodologies in data collection and analysis.
8. Capacity Building Programs and materials tailored to the needs of the data pillar teams and other stakeholders.
9. Support the development and application of M&E indicators on data ecosystem and diffusion.

Duty Stations

The Expert will be based in the AU-IBAR offices in Nairobi, Kenya with travel on specific assignments agreed with the AU-IBAR Management.

Duration

The duration of this assignment is 6 months. The contract may be renewed subject to availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

Remuneration

The remuneration for this Consultancy shall be an all-inclusive monthly fee equivalent to P2 Step 5 on the AUC Salary Scale and shall not exceed US$ 5,303 per month.

The expert will be responsible for his/her medical and travel insurance cover for the duration of the consultancy. Expenses for travel on official missions will be covered separately by AU-IBAR in accordance with the applicable African Union Commission rules and regulations.

Supervision and Reporting

The candidate will be under the direct supervision of the Project Coordinator and under the overall supervision of the Director of AU-IBAR.

Requirements

Academic and Professional qualifications

The consultant should have a minimum Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Information Technology, Statistics, Computer Science, or a related field. Post graduate degree in the same fields will be an added advantage.

General Experience

• Demonstrable experience of a Minimum five (5) years in managing and/or implementing projects, preferably in the development sector or related fields at national, regional or multi-country levels;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, or more of AU Official language.
• Ability to work in a diverse / multicultural environment.
• Ability to adapt strategies and approaches in dynamic and sometimes challenging environments, ensuring project resilience and success.

Specific Experience

• Demonstrated experience of Minimum five (5) years in managing agricultural / livestock or pastoral sector data with strong understanding of sector data ecosystem, methodologies and tools.
• Demonstrated experience in assessing / developing or implementing data management strategy/policy on national, regional or multi-national levels.  
• Strong data analysis and visualization skills; database management skills, and data storage systems, utilizing their specific tools (e.g., SQL, Oracle; HDFS, S3, etc.); ideally in the context of the agricultural / livestock or pastoral sectors data.
• Statistical analysis skills and proficiency in utilizing related analysis tools (e.g., R, Python, SAS).
• Skills in managing market data and information.
• A background in designing and delivering capacity building / training programs, especially related to data management.

Other Essential Skills and Experience

• Ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with cross-functional teams and external counterparts is required.
• Able to work independently and in a team
• Self-starter with the ability to strategically plan own work and follow-up on implementation
• Ability to complete assignments and tasks on time.

Language

Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish) and fluency in another AU language is desirable.

Gender Mainstreaming

The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women and young African professionals are strongly encouraged to apply.

Evaluation Criteria

The applications will be evaluated based on the relevant technical qualifications, experience and competence of the candidates.

Applicants who meet the technical requirements may be invited for an interview (virtual or in person as is appropriate).