Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) recrute un Agronome – Consultant en profilage technologique, Cotonou, Bénin

Location of the position: IITA Cotonou

Recruiter:  IITA/TAAT Clearinghouse

Job Title: Agricultural-Economist – Technology Profiling Consultant

Duration:  3 months ( The consultancy will cover 3 months from January or February 2023)

Job Description

The TAAT (Transforming African Agriculture through Technologies) program is a vast program funded by the African Development Bank that brings together innovations from research institutions and then makes them available to those who should use them.

This program aims to make technologies developed by research centers, or from the private sector or NGOs, accessible and operational for users (both public and private sectors).

The program is implemented by IITA in close collaboration with other CGIAR Centers, FARA, AGRA, national agricultural research and extension systems and private sector partners. It involves close partnership between the AfDB and other developmental partners such as the World Bank, BMGF, AGRA, USAID and others. TAAT is not a research program but takes food production technologies that exist – the result of decades of research efforts – to millions of farmers via crop/livestock outreach campaigns and the creation of an enabling environment.

The TAAT Clearinghouse, based in Cotonou, is responsible for selecting and validating technologies and helping their dissemination. Technologies are compiled into the TAAT Technology Database, with its customer interfaces called e-catalogs. Under the supervision of the Clearinghouse scaling expert the Technology Profiling team is charged with supporting the creation of the database and e-catalogs, and most importantly, the entry of detailed information on technologies, through their profiling. The Agricultural-Economist will reinforce the Technology Profiling team. This team’s essential role is to:

• Gather information and data from the TAAT Compacts and other technology holders or technology repositories, to feed into the TAAT technology database; this information and data must be collected through various contacts (email, telephone, etc.).
• Translate the information into language and presentation that are understandable by the intended audience and favor the adoption of relevant technologies.

The Clearinghouse is developing its communication program specifically oriented towards the private sector, in order to maximize the transfer of TAAT technologies to these key development actors. To this end, the Clearinghouse is developing a digital catalogue of appropriate technologies for the Private Sector, which will serve as a central tool in communications between the Clearinghouse and the private sector. This e-catalogue is defined on specifications clearly aimed at serving the needs of the key audience, the private sector, both in terms of the selection of technologies and their presentation and the type of information proposed for each technology.

A specialized catalogue for governments and official institutions is being developed in a similar way.

Agricultural-economist

We have recognized the need for expert help from a consultant with experience in the socio-economics of technologies and innovations, and in particular, descriptions of economic and financial performance criteria including profitability, viability, such as “return-on-investment” or similar measurements of the cost-benefit of adopting and implementing a technology.

This information is crucial to help potential adopters make the decision to adopt or not. And Many of the technologies coming from the research pipeline are missing this information.

We look for a creative Agricultural-Economist able to see the need from the decision-makers’ perspective, listening to the Technology Profiling team, to define what is needed in the technology profile and working very closely with the private sector engagement officer who will provide oversight. The consultant will then help researchers and technology providers (or technology owners) understand what data is required, how to use existing data to inform economic and financial performance in a manner that is both achievable and sufficiently informative.

Deliverables of the consultancy

From a selection of technologies, the consultant will produce usable, simple, but informative, processes and templates to gather data and express it in a manner that helps a business or a government decide whether a particular technology is worth their investment. This will be integrated in the Clearinghouse’s database entry forms, to ensure that at least one economic and financial performance criterion is a key component of the technology profiles.

In practical terms, the consultant will be working under the responsibility of the Scaling expert and of the Private Sector Engagement Officer with whom a workplan with a timeline will need to be agreed.

In view of the functions (s)he has to perform at the level of the Clearinghouse, the consultant or intern must have skills such as:

• Practical, in-depth knowledge of agricultural technologies
• Ability to conduct benefit-cost analysis of technologies
• Demonstrated experience with computations of economic and financial performance indicators
• Sense of responsibility
• Good organizational and planning skills
• Compliance with timelines and deliverables
• Good ability to communicate orally and in writing; good ability to build relationships with scientists
• Fluency in French is a plus

Degrees and experience:

• Master degree in agricultural economics, or associated sciences
• Or professional experience compensating for the higher education degree described above

To apply, please send a CV with evidence of comparable consultancy work, with a motivation letter highlighting your understanding of the terms of reference and suggesting an approach and a timeline to the consultancy.