New call for experts: LIBERIA COCOA!

17th May 2023
by secretary

Agrinatura News

VCA4D launches a new call for experts for a value chain analysis on cocoa in Liberia.

The profiles are detailed below. Each expert will have 45 working days (50 for the team leader). The period for the study is September 2023 – March 2024.

The ToR will be circulated as soon as approved – but this is expected to be a standard study, undertaken by using the VCA4D methodology, as described in the ‘Methodological Brief. Tools and Methods’. https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/value-chain-analysis-for-development-vca4d-/wiki/1-vca4d-methodology

Please send the CVs of candidates to vca4d@agrinatura-eu.eu and giorgia.mei@agrinatura-eu.eu , Deadline is extended to 26/06/2023.

Context

Liberia is a small agrarian country, with a population of about 5 million people, favourable geographic location, and abundant natural wealth, but still stands among the poorest countries in the world.

Due to the long-lasting civil war and the Ebola outbreak in 2014, many cocoa plantations were abandoned, and the quality and quantity of production dropped significantly. An estimated 40,000 households produce cocoa in Liberia, cultivating between one to three acres of cocoa. Almost all Liberian cocoa is exported in bulk. The sector registers a low availability of high-yielding seedlings, a high cost of input and aged plantations, as well as a lack of technology and infrastructure (both in production and processing). Cocoa farmers are vulnerable to traders and the cocoa value chain governance is weak. Expansion of the cocoa plantation surfaces may happen in forest areas, threatening sustainability and the environment.

The government of Liberia is engaged in diversifying the economy from rubber, including by investing in the cocoa VC (set up of nurseries and seeds gardens, supplying of cocoa seedlings to farmers, etc.), as envisioned by the Liberia Vision 2030 agenda, by the Plan Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development 2018-2023 and the Liberia Agriculture Sector Investment Plan (LASIP II).

The EU intends to include cocoa in its upcoming interventions, also to cope with the entry into force of the EU Deforestation-Free Products regulation, which may block exports to Europe as well as to neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire.

The VCA4D study has been requested by the EU to have an evidence-based comprehensive overview of the value chain. The study will support the EUD and Government to comply with the procedures of the International Cocoa Organization – ICCO – and to support the country in complying with the requirement of the EU Deforestation-free Products Regulation.

EXPERTISE REQUIRED

Agro-Economist S/he is a senior expert with deep knowledge and experience in value chain analysis from an economic point of view, possibly with a knowledge of cocoa value chains. S/he will elaborate financial and economic accounts of the VC (and its sub-systems) as a whole and of its actors. He/she will analyse the VC from the different actors’ perspectives, as well as its contribution to the main economic indicators (GDP, the balance of trade, public finance, etc.). He/she will be at ease with the concepts of income distribution, job creation, growth, and distributive effects, the viability of the VC in the international economy, etc. S/he will undertake a full functional analysis with the support of his/her colleagues.

Experience in economic analysis of value chain is required, and experience in cocoa value chains is an asset.

Professional experience in Liberia is an asset.

Knowledge of English is required.

Experience in stakeholders’ management (including relations with high-level officials and private sector) and analysis of public policies are a plus.

The economist will coordinate and consolidate the functional analysis, compiling the contributions from all experts. S/he will provide a Functional and Economic Analysis that will be included in the final report.

A collective training or at least an individual introduction to the AFA software will be made prior to the first mission. In the case the training cannot be done before the first mission, it will be done before the second mission.

S/he will help the team leader (if another member of the team) to (i) define the typology of actors that will be adopted throughout the study; (ii) formulate an executive summary and conclusions that combine the results of the different analyses in order to answer the framing questions and to finalise the report (reading, formatting of the report…). The expert will collaborate and integrate the analysis on market trends provided by COLEAD.

Social expert

S/he is a senior expert with deep knowledge of and experience on social issues related to agricultural value chains in developing countries, particularly on the inclusiveness of the most vulnerable groups.

The expert has experience at least in two of the social domains covered by VCA4D (working conditions, land and water rights, gender equality, food, and nutrition security, social capital, and living conditions) and is able to handle and inform on the other ones.

Experience in social analysis of the agricultural sector is required, and specific experience on social issues in developing countries is strongly appreciated.

Experience in social aspects of the cocoa VCs is highly appreciated.

Professional experience in Liberia or in the region is compulsory.

Knowledge of English is required.

Experience in stakeholders’ management (including relations with high-level officials and private sector) and analysis of public policies are a plus.

The social expert will provide a social analysis to be included in the report, on the basis of the VCA4D Social Profile. An introduction on how to complete the Social Profile will be made prior to the first mission.

The Social Expert will also support the economist for the analysis on inclusiveness and the LCA expert to deal with the Biodiversity Analysis.

S/he will help the team leader to: (i) define the typology of actors that will be adopted throughout the study; (ii) formulate an executive summary and conclusions that combine the results of the different analyses in order to answer the framing questions and to finalise the report (reading, formatting of the report…).

3) Environmental/LCA expert

S/he is a senior expert with deep knowledge of and experience in the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA).

Experience in the cocoa VCs is an asset.

Professional experience in Liberia will be appreciated.

The LCA Scientist must be able to investigate also local health risks and biodiversity issues in the environmental analysis.

Knowledge of English is required.

S/he will preferably use the SimaPro software for LCA.

S/he will provide the part of the report on the Environmental Analysis that will be included in the final report. His/her analysis will focus on the analysis of damages on resources, ecosystems and human health, as well as on the impacts on climate change.

S/he will help the team leader to: (i) define the typology of actors that will be adopted throughout the study, (ii) formulate an executive summary and conclusions that combine the results of the different analyses in order to answer the framing questions and to finalise the report (reading, formatting of the report…).

4) National Expert

S/he is a specialist in the Cocoa value chain in Liberia.

Relevant knowledge of the national institutions (technical, economic, and political ones) and stakeholders (public and private) involved in the cocoa value chain is required.

At the beginning of the study, s/he will provide general information on the value chain, identifying key players and existing relevant information and data for the analyses. The national expert will help to select the most relevant data from available sources, clarify inconsistencies, and improve coherence between analyses.

S/he will facilitate and complete the data collection, in agreement with the guidelines of the Team Leader. S/he will facilitate contact between the whole team and the local stakeholders.

Depending on the organization chosen by the team, his/her work can be deployed before the missions (preparation of the mission of the colleagues), during the missions (support of colleagues during missions), between missions (collection of additional information, supervision of data collection, etc.), even after missions (additional information).

New call for experts: LIBERIA COCOA!

VCA4D launches a new call for experts for a value chain analysis on cocoa in Liberia.

Share

You might also like