Specialist in Local Economic Development and Private Sector

A project from the World Bank-financed place is calling for applications to fill the following position: Job Identification: Specialist in Local Economic Development and Private Sector (edelsp) HIERARCHICAL RELATIONSHIP: is under the supervision of the Project Coordinator and in close collaboration with the entire team

Location

PLACE OF WORK: The position is based in Saint Louis with movements in the area of intervention.

Main duties

the Specialist in Local Economic Development and Private Sector will perform the following tasks: Competitiveness, growth and job creation EDELSP shall:

• Develop an operational strategy to support the private sector in conjunction with activities already identified by the actors of the sectors;

Education / Qualifications

• Stimulate the competitiveness of priority value chains (rice, horticulture, livestock, milk, etc.) through an integrated approach (production, processing, financing, logistics, market).
• Diagnose job creation initiatives, especially for young people and women, and propose improvements.
• Identify the sources of job creation for young people and women in the VFS and engage actors in the realization of these potentials through different mechanisms (strengthening training-employment links, supporting entrepreneurship, connecting with local companies, etc.).
• Support the support of the OCBs of young people and women targeted in the project;
• Support linking with vocational training schemes and employability programmes in priority sectors (rice, horticulture and livestock), with particular attention to opportunities for young people and women;
• Support improved connectivity (transport, market access, digital solutions).
• Contribute to the creation of a business-friendly environment: support the creation of economic infrastructure, structured markets, logistics platforms for the project.

Other information

• Encourage the digitalization of companies (management, traceability, e-commerce, mobile payments) with the support of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and other financial partners. Development and structuring of value chains EDELSP will have to play a key role as an economic facilitator:
• Carry out, in connection with: IPAR mapping, SAED, results from the project’s youth employment forum; identification and qualification of private actors (producers, processors, input suppliers, logisticians, buyers).
• Coordinate the implementation of the roadmap to support the project’s priority value chains.
• Support, within the framework of the Regional Coordination Committee, the implementation of the regional action plan in collaboration with the Mauritanian side;
• Support the structuring of interprofessions by taking effective account of the colleges of processors within these interprofessions
• Support, in coordination with the SAED, the modernization of the technical trays of UDA (artisanal decortication unit) and mini-riceries.
• Collaborate with the BNM to support the competitiveness of local businesses.
• Organize and facilitate regional and national B2B meetings.
• Develop fair contracting mechanisms between producers and buyers.
• Promote the integration of climate and sustainability criteria into economic models. Development of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) EDELSP shall:
• Identify concrete PPP opportunities in economic infrastructures (markets, logistics platforms, processing units, etc.).
• Contribute to the promotion of private investment and public-private partnerships;

Job overview

• Offer innovative financial models adapted to the local context.
• Facilitate dialogue between local authorities (communes) and private investors.
• Contribute to the legal and technical structuring of partnerships. Strategic cooperation with the World Bank Group
• Collaborate with teams from the World Bank, IFC and other relevant partners in the project area (IFAD, AfDB, etc.) as part of Senegal’s AgriConnect pact
• Contribute to the collection of market data in order to better guide investment decisions by private sector actors as part of the project’s actions.
• Ensure that the activities foreseen in the roadmap for supporting value chains are consistent with the content of the AgriConnect Pact
• Collaborate with IFC teams and other financial partners to identify and implement activities to de-risk investments;
• Diagnose existing innovations in digitalization and propose actions to scale those with a high economic impact on populations (AgTech solutions for the de-risking of agricultural financing; PAYGo models for solar irrigation; etc.)
• Facilitate beneficiaries’ access to IFC financial instruments and advisory services.
• Building the capacity of local financial institutions for agricultural and climate finance.
• Work, in partnership with the Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) and IFC, for an evaluation and if necessary, replication of the Agribooster model in the VFS.
• Attract anchor investors when improvements to the business environment are funded by the project. Access to finance and financial inclusion EDELSP shall:
• Diagnose existing funding mechanisms in the SFS and propose improvements to address the financing needs of agricultural SMEs;
• Encourage people to become SMEs/producer cooperatives while emphasizing the benefits of this modality;
• Develop innovative financing mechanisms: o partial guarantees, o risk-sharing funds, o green finance, o blended finance or mixed funds (public or concessional funds with private capital).
• Support companies in the preparation of bankable files.
• Promote Islamic finance when relevant and consistent with the local context.
• Strengthen the capacities of MFIs and partner banks. Climate Resilience and Innovation In a logic of sustainable development and with the support of the project’s climate change specialist and IFC:
• Systematically integrate climate issues into value chain strategies.
• Promote solar irrigation technologies.
• Encourage climate-smart agriculture.
• Support AgTech start-ups at the local level with support from IFC and other financial partners;
• Develop appropriate agricultural insurance mechanisms.
• Support the articulation of the economic activities of the project at AgriConnect Coordination, monitoring and capitalization EDELSP shall:
• Develop a detailed annual action plan.
• Define measurable performance indicators.
• Produce quarterly reports.

Experience

• Document good practices and lessons learned through a periodic (quarterly) report capitalizing on experiences, innovations and lessons learned from implementation, thus contributing to the project’s knowledge management mechanisms and AgriConnect.
• Contribute to the economic communication strategy of the project.

Candidate profile

The Specialist in Local Economic Development and Private Sector must meet the following qualifications: Education

• Bac+5 in economics, agronomy, management, finance, agribusiness, international development or equivalent field. Experience
• Minimum 5 to 8 years of experience in private sector development.
• Experience in agricultural value chains.
• Experience in PPP and financial structuring.
• Experience with institutions such as the World Bank, IFC or similar desired.
• Knowledge of the context of the Senegal River Valley and highly appreciated cross-border issues.
• Strong experience working with deconcentrated authorities and local authorities. The first contract will be for a period of one year. If at the end of this period, the performance evaluation is satisfactory, the following contract will be renewed after notice of no objection from the World Bank.

METHOD AND PROCEDURE OF SELECTION

"The Consultant will be selected according to the method of Selection of Individual Consultants, in accordance with the Regulation of Procurement for Borrowers applying for financing of Investment Projects (FPI), edition of July 2016, Updated in November 2017, August 2018 and November 2020 and in accordance with the criteria required under these terms of reference. The selection will be made by call for applications. The Specialist will be selected, after notice of no objection from the World Bank, based on his/her relevant qualifications and experience, and his/her ability to fully carry out the mission. The selection procedure will consist of two (2) phases: a) Pre-selection of candidates based on the evaluation of candidates’ CVs on 100 points based on the criteria in relation to these TDRS; (b) Interview of shortlisted candidates on 100 points. The weights assigned to the CV and Interview will be 70% and 30% respectively Candidates will be ranked based on their combined CV and Interview scores using the weights as follows: NFinal = (Ncv x 70%) + (NInterview x 30%).

---

[Click the Apply button below to apply, and Create my CV to build a CV tailored to this offer, professionally]